


Just Let Me Adore You

by stonerkuma



Series: (i didn’t plan for this to be a harry-styles-lyrics-as-titles thing but here we are) [2]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Angst, Assault, Choking, Cigarettes, Clubbing, Established Relationship, Marijuana, Mental Health Issues, Mentioned Psychedelic Use, Mob Violence, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Party Drugs, Punk, Recreational Drug Use, Sequel, alternative, dont call it a comeback, i been here for years, lots of first times, mafia violence, not a lot of noncompliance but its enough to tag, occasional smut, restraint play, self deprication, the stakes are higher, this one is gonna be more violent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-23 14:27:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 64,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23712952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stonerkuma/pseuds/stonerkuma
Summary: A sequel to Comfortable Silence! I’m not gonna make you read that one first, but you probably should. Mind the rating!Established Soudam gradually falling for one another as their lives become gradually more intense and less simple than when they got together. Also, Sonia is going out with a dangerous mob assassin, so she’s got that going for her. Oh, and Kiibo has been coming really far along and begins attractinglotsof attention. Still pretty self-indulgent and we’re still gonna have fun.
Relationships: Iruma Miu & K1-B0, Iruma Miu & Soda Kazuichi, Soda Kazuichi & K1-B0, Soda Kazuichi/Tanaka Gundham, Sonia Nevermind & Tanaka Gundham, Sonia Nevermind/Pekoyama Peko
Series: (i didn’t plan for this to be a harry-styles-lyrics-as-titles thing but here we are) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1707889
Comments: 48
Kudos: 243





	1. Gold on the Ceiling

“Okay, Kiibo,” Ibadashi began as he moved his black chess pawn closer to the rows of white on the other side of the board, “Let’s play a game — and _don’t_ let me win this time.”

Kiibo laughed his just-slightly tinny laugh. Too realistic of a voice made him seem rather uncanny and less trustworthy in some focus testing performed around the campus, so they kept the slightly robotic quality. His rhythm of speech and fluidity of conversation was impeccable, though. He easily reached out with his grey carbon-fiber fingers to pluck up his white pawn and move it forward as well. 

“I wouldn’t dream of it, Doctor Ibadashi. I’ll give it all that I’ve got!”

Ibadashi chuckled and moved one of his pieces. Miu scribbled a few notes on her clipboard which was decorated with various stickers she’d picked up over time. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled high into a ponytail that still swept at her shoulders; exposed due to the fact that she had unzipped the top half of her baby-pink jumpsuit, tied the sleeves around her waist, and sported the cream-colored tank-top beneath it. Souda wore his bright yellow one in the same fashion and hung around in his white t-shirt. He held his own clipboard (a chipped, stained thing) slack in one hand as he nervously smoked with the other. The back of his neck felt hot.

Souda nudged Miu and leaned over so as not to distract Ibadashi or Kiibo from their little game. “D’ya got an extra hair tie?”

Miu slid one off of her wrist and tossed it over to Souda quickly without looking at him. Souda fumbled, but achieved in catching it. He pressed his cigarette between his lips and used both hands to put his stubborn mass of fuschia-colored hair into a ponytail.

“How is your mother doing, Doctor?” Kiibo inquired casually as he captured one of Ibadashi’s pieces. 

This made Souda and Miu smirk at the same time. He had sensed a lull in the conversation and organically moved onto another topic. Ibadashi smiled at him and played his move. 

“Why, it surprises me that you remember my mentioning her! I don’t think we’ve discussed my mother for a few weeks, have we?”

Kiibo blinked his teal, fiber-optic eyes uselessly and smiled as he moved his piece, “Well, I have an outstanding memory, Doctor! Your mother, Mei Ibadashi, is seventy-four years old and lives with you and your wife, Yuki. She enjoys cooking, gardening, and walks to the market with her girl-friends on Tuesday afternoons.”

Kiibo looked quite different from his beta iterations. He was still quite a bit shorter than either Miu or Souda, but his design was much more sleek. His body below his head was constructed with both carbon fibers and steel situated in a fashion that made him appear to be wearing black pants and a matching black, high-collared jacket with bright, glowing buttons. The collar had a bright green LED interface which read back numbers and codes regarding system outputs and efficiencies. They had also made the decision to keep the defining, dark edge of his face plates underneath his eyes, as it gave him a definite robotic appearance despite the otherwise uncanny realism of his face. 

Miu had also undertaken the designing of his hair piece, which was made of individualized fibers that reacted to Kiibo’s emotion. His hair spiked up when he was surprised, flustered, or angry. She had no reasoning for this other than the fact that it was cute. 

Ibadashi couldn’t help but laugh with wonder at the reply, “Yes, Kiibo, that is exactly right! Well, since you asked, she is doing wonderfully.”

Kiibo suddenly cornered Ibadashi’s king piece, “Well, give her my best, Doctor. And, checkmate.”

Ibadashi looked down at the board with confusion. Not only had Kiibo succeeded in distracting him, but he really didn’t let him win this time. Ibadashi straightened his glasses and looked over at Souda and Miu. Souda was smiling triumphantly as he tapped out his cigarette. Miu handed her clipboard to Kii-baby and squealed as she ran over to wrap her arms around Kiibo’s metal frame. She kissed the white silicone of his cheek.

“Great job, Kiibo! You did so good!”

Souda rolled his eyes, “C’mon, Miu, y’can’t just go praisin’ him for every little thing he gets right! Then he won’t know the value in it.”

Miu shot him a deathly glare and held Kiibo protectively to her chest. Souda shivered and didn’t press the issue any further. Ibadashi chuckled and stood up from the table.

“I must agree with Miu, Kazuichi. Kiibo’s performance is improvising seamlessly these days. In fact, he’s come such a far way since the beginning of the semester that, here in mid-October, I might even go so far as to say that it is hardly a performance at all. His AI is truly masterful — such a robust system. Remind me, Miu, you came up with the concept for his ever-developing, neural pathway-type capability which Chihiro brought into fruition?”

Miu nodded and let Kiibo go so that she could take note of the readings on his collar, “Yeah, I do all the conceptualizing and schematics here. Chihiro takes me the rest of the way that I can’t go with computers and Pinky over there is my extra set of hands.”

Souda made a face, “Hey! C’mon I built pretty much his whole skeleton from scratch, like, eight times just to get it more dynamic motion! Not to mention that it was _my_ idea on how to store the plasma beams in his hands instead of his arms.”

Miu rolled her eyes and walked over to him as she set her clipboard down on her workstation. She took his chin into her hand and squeezed his cheeks together.

“Awwww, does the baby want more credit?”

Souda’s face went pink with frustration. Miu laughed at this, “C’mon, you know I’m just playing! You’re more than just my Igor, I promise.”

He rolled his eyes but couldn’t help smiling a bit. Ibadashi looked at the two of them and their creation proudly.

“You two have exceeded my expectations. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that you’ll knock their socks off at the meeting at the school exposition this weekend.”

“Yes, I also think that we will have an excellent time!” Kiibo chirped.

Miu smiled fondly down at him, “Remember, Kiibo, people are probably gonna prod you when you say words like “think” or “wonder.”

Kiibo didn’t falter, “I’ll simply tell them that I’m using the term as a loose approximation in order to more easily relate to them as a human being! Of course, I am not, nor am I ever, actually doing any kind of _thinking_.”

Miu patted his head, “Just like yer daddy.”

“Hey!” Souda snipped. 

That made Ibadashi laugh heartily, “Goodness you are a riot, Miu.” He gathered up his things and walked up to Kiibo to test his bowing synchronization, which was instantaneous, “I’ll be seeing you soon, Kiibo. Good game today.”

Kiibo waved at him as he walked away, “So long, Doctor! Give your family my best.”

Ibadashi chuckled, “I’ll do just that. So long you two.”

“Goodbye, professor,” Souda and Miu both said in unison as they packed up their few things before both walking Kiibo back into his charging pod, which was situated in a locked room that also served as a spare cleaning supply closet. It almost looked like a cryogenic chamber without the freezing aspect and much more LED detailing. Kiibo stepped onto two pegs protruding from the floor which fit into the soles of his feet. This was the main source of charging power. Souda grabbed two wires and attached them to the insides of either of his wrists as though they were intravenous tubes; these charged his plasma beams. 

“Everything charging?” Souda asked him as he backed away for Miu to get a closer look for herself.

Kiibo nodded, “Yes, both my core battery and plasmatic reserves are charging as we speak.”

Miu nodded as she looked over a few of the numbers on his collar one last time, “And everything’s running super efficiently after that last tune-up you did.”

Souda smirked at that. Miu finished her check-up before pressing his four “jacket” buttons in a particular order which acted as a pin to unlock the ability to shut him down. She then moved her hand behind his neck and just below the collar of said “jacket” and found a seamless button at the top of his mechanical spine. She smiled at him as he pressed it.

“Goodnight, we’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, knowing there was a short delay in the power down as it moved from the bottom of his body to the top.

Kiibo smiled back, “Goodni—

He powered down. His teal eyes went from a full display with light refraction and pupil imitation to two flat disks which slowly faded in and out of a yellow glow. His smile fell into neutrality and his posture slightly slumped forward. The first few moments after Kiibo was powered down were always strange and eerie. They shut him into the pod, locked up the closet, and walked back over to their station in the garage. They both walked to the respective bathrooms at either end of the hangar-like building (Miu’s was closer) and got out of their jumpsuits to change into their pants. They hung them up side-by-side at the station, grabbed their bags, and headed out to the parking lot. 

Now that school was in session, Souda drove Miu home the nights that they worked in the garage, which were growing more and more frequent. They arrived at the garage everyday around nine in the morning and sometimes stayed until nine in the evening. As they walked out and down from the campus on the concrete pathway, they discussed what else they could be doing to make Kiibo smarter, stronger, or faster. But on this occasion, they just walked alongside each other and listened to the crickets singing as they made their way. 

—

Sonia interlaced her fingers and listened attentively as one of the other new members of the debate club stood up and introduced himself. He was a somewhat quiet, timid boy with dark blueish-black hair that hung into his golden eyes. 

“I’m … Shuichi Saihara. It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” he managed before sitting right back down. Sonia smiled and stood up, as she was the next new member in the circle.

“I am Sonia Nevermind! I am so excited to kick some butt with you all this semester!”

This made everyone in the circle giggle. Hinata stood up as she sat down.

“Thank you to all of our new members. You’re familiar faces to me, so it’s a pleasure to have you on the team. First thing’s first, as I’m sure you all could tell, we’ve had some changes since last semester. Our man Makoto here needed more time for finishing up school this semester, so this is my first time as acting president of the club.”

Everyone smiled, but some of their gazes lingered on Kirigiri, who was leaning coolly back in her chair. They were obviously wondering why Naegi picked Hinata over her. She closed her eyes as she began to speak.

“I didn’t _want_ the job,” she said firmly, which made the oglers blush and look down.

Hinata continued, “Also, this semester we’re gonna be merging with the Spring Valley team this year during competitions.”

This earned a few groans and expressions of outrage from some of the members, but Hinata kept his cool, “C’mon guys don't be that way. Neither of our teams qualify size-wise for half of the forensic competitions out there individually — this is better for both of us! This way more people will be able to compete in more stuff! Besides, we’ll still prepare separately and come together for scrimmages as practice.”

Some people still didn’t look exactly thrilled, but most seemed to accept the proposition. 

“Now, for the first few meetings around here, we’re just gonna be running through some of the basics and doing some mock situations. We’re mostly trying to figure out who’s gonna be speaking with the debate team and who can focus on other things. So, Shuichi, Sonia — the two of you are going to be especially tested over the next few meetings. Today’s meeting, however, is a short one, since it’s our first of the semester. Again, if this time doesn’t work with you then please talk to me personally after the meeting. Got it?” No one said anything to Hinata. “Okay, meeting dismissed. If you have any questions, I’m free right now.”

A small crowd quickly surrounded him before forming a line. Sonia stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder. She stood up and walked out of the room before noticing Saihara already at the end of the hall.

“Shuichi!” she called, making him pause somewhat nervously. Sonia caught up with him at the end of the hallway and began to walk with him outside. “I am relieved to not be the only new member of the club this semester! Tell me, what is your year?”

Saihara smiled somewhat, but kept his hands tightly wound around the straps of his backpack, “Actually, I’m at the beginning of my second year here at Towa City. I-I just joined because Hajime asked me after our public speaking class last semester.”

Sonia clapped her hands, “Ah! I suppose you were most skilled in the ways of addressing the masses!”

Saihara smiled somewhat miserably, “I actually got half marks. Barely a passing grade.” He finished with a hint of a chuckle in his voice. 

“Well, Hajime has an eye for potential in places where some people do not even recognize within themselves. I trust his judgement in thinking that you are a most promising young prospect,” Sonia said confidently.

Saihara looked up at her gratefully and let out a genuine, albeit short laugh. They walked with one another all the way up to the bus loop, which provided free transport over to the train stop several blocks down the street. As they sat down at the bench, a yellow sports car pulled into the loop in front of them. The driver’s window rolled down to reveal Souda smiling his shark smile at Sonia.

“Hey Sonia, you want a ride?” Souda asked.

Miu leaned over, “C’mon, get in the car!” Sonia smiled apologetically at Saihara, who waved her off with an understanding smile. Sonia gathered up her things and climbed into Souda’s backseat. 

Miu then narrowed her eyes and waved at Saihara, “Oh hey, Shuichi! You hittin’ on my friend here?”

Shuichi blushed hard and put up his hands, “M-Miu, I— No!”

Miu was already cackling, “I’m just playin’ with you, man! Lighten up a little bit! I’ll tell Kaede you say hi, ‘kay?”

He chuckled nervously and nodded, “H-Ha, yeah sure. Bye guys.”

They chorused different salutations and Souda rounded the loop before he continued out onto the main road. Miu turned around in the passenger seat to talk to her.

“Takin’ some late classes this semester?” Miu inquired.

Sonia shook her head, “Not exactly. I have joined the ranks of the school’s debate club!”

Miu chuckled, “Hajime’s debate club?”

Sonia nodded proudly. Souda and Miu gave each other a smirk at that.

“Man, I think yer gonna fit right in, Sonia. Was that the new kid?” Souda asked.

Miu nodded, “Yeah, he’s Kaede’s best friend.”

“His name is Shuichi Saihara. He is quite nice! I am sure you will be seeing more of him.”

Miu was already bored with that conversation, “So what’re you doin’ for your birthday, Sonia? I know it’s sometime soon. October tenth?”

Sonia smiled, “Close! October _thirteenth_. This Friday; always such a treat for me!”

Souda shivered, “Yer not nervous about spooky stuff on your birthday?”

Miu rolled her eyes, “Dude, do you know who you’re talking to?”

Sonia laughed at that as Souda’s cheeks warmed a fraction. “Actually, Kazuichi, I was hoping you and —” she deepened her voice and puffed her chest, “The Prince of Ice and Darkness himself—

Sonia’s little impression made the two of them crack up. 

“— could join me this evening for wine and films this evening. My mother sent a few parcels from my home, as I will not be traveling this year. Since Peko is taking the day off especially for me this Friday, I thought it would be nice to get together this evening! I was actually going to ring the both of you when I got home! But, Miu, you and Kaede are more than welcome to drop by!”

Miu smiled, “Thanks, but Kaede needs me to help her cram for some exams she’s gonna be taking in advance. I wanted to keep it a surprise… but Remnants of Despair is going on tour!”

Souda smiled, “Aw man, that’s great Miu! When are they startin’?”

“Next week. She’s still gonna try and finish the semester, though, even when I told her it was crazy,” Miu smiled fondly, “But hey, she doesn’t listen to me unless we’re in bed!”

Sonia rolled her eyes, “Please, Miu, there is not a bone in your body which could grant you the ability to top!”

Souda went bright red at hearing that, which made both Miu and Sonia laugh. It was hardly any time before he was pulling in front of Kaede’s house. She waved at them from the patio as Miu climbed out and Sonia switched to sit in the front seat. Once they made sure the two of them were inside, Souda pulled away from the curb.

“Could you call Gundham fer me? We’re not far from his place, might as well swing by and get ‘im,” Souda asked her, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible even though his heart was already pounding with the knowledge that he would soon see Gundham. 

Though they had been seeing each other for a few months, Souda was still a mess when it came to Gundham. The butterflies in his stomach could never seem to fly away. Sonia nodded and called him.

“Gundham! Are you home? …. Excellent, are you busy? …. Would you like to come over this evening to celebrate my birthday?” Sonia laughed and continued to listen for a moment before speaking again, “Well, I am down the street. I will be there soon. …. Alright, goodbye.”

She looked over at Souda, “I figured a little surprise would not hurt!”

Souda smiled back at her and blushed, thinking of the innocent softness that overcame Gundham’s face when he was shocked or confused. He pressed his foot a little harder on the gas pedal. They got there sooner than later. As Souda pulled up, he could see the Gundham standing outside against the wall. His face went from a stoney, guarded glare to a warm smile and wide eyes. Souda smiled wide and rolled his window down so Gundham could lean down to talk to him.

“Hi,” Souda said giddily.

“Greetings, my treasure,” Gundham murmured before quickly kissing him and leaning back, “I cannot deny, I am surprised, but most thrilled by your presence here. The She-Cat made it appear as though it would be only herself arriving, but it appears that was an illusion set on misleading me. I must say, well done on that part.”

Sonia laughed and moved to get out and let him have the front seat, but Gundham was already climbing into the seat behind Souda’s. As Souda pulled away from the curb, Gundham looked over to see their backpacks in the seat next to him.

“Pray tell, did the pair of you recently depart from our learning institution?”

They both nodded from the front seat. Gundham shook his head.

“I shudder to imagine the extent to which the presences of both my companion and my lover I will be stripped of this semester. But alas, this is selfish thinking — I am fully enraptured with pride in either of your accomplishments. Tell me, how was your venture in the Society of Argument?”

Sonia smiled and turned to speak to him, “It was a lot of fun! Hajime is a great leader — I cannot wait to see where he puts me on the team!”

“I am sure your powers of hypnotism and telekinesis will be most useful in manipulation of the opponents' very psyche. Think of it, Sonia, you could become a powerful weapon in their holster.”

She chuckled, “I do not think psychological possessions are permitted by the forensic board.”

Gundham shrugged, “Shame — it would surely be a tactic worth exploring. And what about you, my darling? How fares your mechanical man?”

Souda smirked, “Kiibo’s doin’ good! We’re gonna be showin’ him off at an expo fer the school this weekend.”

Sonia gasped with excitement, “What time?”

“I’ll hafta’ check again, but probably noon to four ‘er somethin’ like that.”

“Well, we will be there! Right, Gundham?”

Gundham smiled and made eye contact with Souda through his rear view mirror, “I would not miss it for the sky crashing down.”

—

Sonia immediately ripped into the three packages from her mother once they all got settled upon arrival; Asahina was working and would be home eventually. In one package was a stack of fine clothing from Italy. There were a few silken wrap dresses in dark, rich colors; some long skirts, expensive jeans, and a few sweaters. The second package contained something slightly surprising, a brand new cell phone placed delicately on top of a stack of Indian incense and polished rocks. The third package was actually a wooden crate which contained four bottles of wine; two white, two red, stacked on top of a bundle of packing straw. Gundham and Souda just sat on the couch politely as she opened up expensive gifts after expensive gifts. After all, they were just two poor boys holding hands on the plush material of their wealthy friend’s couch underneath it all. Sonia was thrilled and thankful for each item. She called her mother and spoke English excitedly as she poured three glasses of white wine.

Gundham scrolled through the streamable films on her television and settled into the corner of the couch comfortably. Souda then leaned over to wrap his arms around Gundham’s waist and lean his head against the front of his shoulder, almost right above his heart. Gundham switched the remote into his other hand and used his free one to gently rub long stripes up and down Souda’s back.

“I missed you today,” Souda murmured to him.

Gundham smiled and pressed his lips to the top of his head, “I could tell. You see, when one person longs for another so severely, such a powerful emotional tether can actually result in the other person’s mind becoming infiltrated with nothing but thoughts of their missing counterpart. You have been running through my mind all day, making a muck of my productivity.”

Souda smiled up at him smugly, “Couldn’t get any work done, eh? Bet yer followers are _pissed_.”

Gundham shook his head, “I have satiated their demands for now. Three posts to the allocation of my daily operandi posted to the ever-circling interweb and two to the ‘Insta-gram’ should satiate their hunger for a day.”

“Jeez, man, how many disciples do ya’ have?”

Gundham smirked at the work choice, “I have formed an allegiance nearly twenty-thousand strong.”

Souda sat up as Sonia tuned into the conversation at just that moment. 

“Gundham, you have twenty- _thousand_ followers?!” Sonia gasped.

His smug grin grew tenfold, “Do not be surprised — mortals often flock to my beckoning call! Not only this, but such exposure has resulted in foreign export of residentiary beings within The Breedery from places as far as Africa. Saharan monitor lizards, of all things!”

Sonia handed them their glasses, “That is incredible! Your powers of manifestation are truly unparalleled.”

Souda leaned up and kissed his cheek, “I’m happy fer you.”

Gundham smiled and sipped his wine. He thrusted the remote over to Sonia.

“I must ask you to choose the film which we will be hypnotized by this evening — I haven’t a solitary clue.”

Sonia sighed dramatically and took the remote to choose herself.

“Kazuichi, could you order a pizza?” Sonia asked, talking a drink of her wine.

He chuckled and fished his phone out of his pocket. He looked up a nearby pizza place which he had learned was the go-to when ordering at Sonia’s. They had a really amazing cheese pizza that the vegan’s wouldn’t get too grossed out about, but also carried a small variety (which, to Gundham and Asahina— who were perpetually used to the same option of just getting a salad— was a bounty) of vegan pies as well.

Souda tapped in an order for two pizzas and echoed the notification he received it: “Thirty minutes.”

At the same time, Sonia selected a vintage horror film about exorcisms and witches. Souda bit his tongue about the fear he felt and held Gundham tighter as the tension in the film quickly ramped up. Gundham chuckled and ran his hand across Souda’s arm.

“Were I unable to perceive you, I would have guessed you to be a boa constrictor.”

Souda slackened his arms, “S-Sorry.”

“Is this too scary for you, Kazuichi? We could watch something else,” Sonia offered.

He shook his head, now determined to stick it out, “N-No! I’m not _that_ scared I’ve just—” he gulped “— never seen this one before, ya’ know?”

No sooner after he’d made his case, there was a sudden scare in the film that made him yell and reflexively squeeze Gundham. Sonia couldn’t help laughing as Gundham grunted with the unexpected pressure, which sent Souda into a nervous, apologizing tirade. 

“I-I’m sorry! It’s just that the fuckin’ door slammed an’ I—

Sonia had leaned over and grabbed his wine glass off of the table before trusting the glass in front of his face, “Drink now, oh yammering one.”

Souda softened up at the affected little voice she’d used and took the glass from her to take a sip. It was good wine. Souda knew that just by tasting it, and he knew just about next to nothing about what made wine “good” or “bad.” Just that there was something special about the tart dryness in his mouth and the way that he could really taste grapes. Plus, it was sweeter than other wines he’d drank, so that was a plus. He settled his cheek on Gundham’s shoulder with a contented sigh. Souda switched his glass into the other hand so he could lace the free one with Gundham’s. He took another drink of the wine. 

Yeah, pretty sweet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone! welcome back! i am so, so excited for this fic to really kick off! it may not seem like it right now, but this fic is going to have a darker tone/theme to it than the original did, so keep that in mind! i hope to have the next chapter up very soon. ty for your continued support ^^ <333


	2. Kaerimichi

Sonia fiddled with the hem of her brassy-colored cardigan sleeve as she scanned either side of the street for a tall, silver-haired figure. Pekoyama had told her to dress up for this evening, which Sonia was always delighted to do. She decided on a long-sleeved royal blue silken wrap dress which her mother had just sent her and a pair of strappy shoes. Her pale blonde hair was left down and she’d very subtly curled a few pieces by her face. Sonia looked date-ready, now all that was missing was her date.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder that came from behind her; the direction of the stairs up to the train which he back was facing. She jumped hard and turned around with her hands up in a way that looked quite ready to jab the offender in the eyes. She registered them to be bright, scarlet eyes with long lashes as she turned; Pekoyama’s eyes. It was just her wearing a pair of black and grey plaid trousers and a cream-colored blouse which was rolled up to her elbows. Her hair was pulled up into a bun.

Pekoyama put up her hands— one of which was holding a small bouquet of red roses with a nervous laugh, “Hey, it’s just me! I’m sorry I snuck up on you. It’s a habit.”

Sonia let out a sigh of relief and put one of her hands over her rapidly beating heart, “Oh goodness, pardon me, Peko! You gave me a fright.”

Pekoyama smiled and handed the bouquet to her, “These are for you. I was working near the countryside this week and I got a bundle of these before I left. They’re still blooming this late in October, isn’t that nice?”

Sonia blushed at the gift and leaned up to kiss the corner of her mouth, “If I did not know any better, I might believe you to be a gardener rather than a bodyguard.”

Pekoyama chuckled and wrapped her arm around Sonia’s shoulders as they began to walk down the street, “Well, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were a boxer! Nice form, by the way.”

Sonia laughed and playfully nudged her in the side. Pekoyama was so cool and light-hearted when they were around one another, so it was difficult to really comprehend the serious, often violent nature of her career. Sonia noticed a healing scratch on the high point of her cheek. Whoever did that was probably dead now. She shivered and Pekoyama held her closer.

“Are you chilly? The restaurant is just another block away— we’ll warm up when we get inside.”

Sonia reached her arm out and wrapped it around Pekoyama’s waist. How do you protect someone who is always protecting someone else with their life? How do you watch over someone from afar? Maybe there was a spell for that. Her wonderings were interrupted when Pekoyama’s pace slowed as they approached what looked like a vintage theater from centuries ago. There was a large marquee with yellow, glimmering bulbs that read:  _ Hearston’s Lounge.  _

“Ah, I have never heard of this film!” Sonia chirped.

Pekoyama chuckled, “That’s because this is a restaurant. Interesting concept, no? This place has been in Towa City for seventy-five years, or something like that. It was refurbished a few years ago into a restaurant.”

They approached what would have been a box office and Pekoyama gave the host her name. He nodded and handed her what looked like a movie ticket, but just had her name on it. She handed it to the waitress at the door, who walked the two of them into the restaurant and led them to a table. Sonia was taken aback by the atmosphere. The ceilings were tall and dramatic with ornate paintings. There were old, enormous crystal chandeliers glimmering in the somewhat dimly-lit dining room which hung dominion over the sea of dark oak tables with white tablecloths and candlelit centerpieces. The walls and floor were made of classic theatrical crushed red velvet and, to tie it all together, at the very front of the room was a large movie screen playing a black-and-white romance film. Sonia gave Pekoyama an excited, incredulous look.

“Peko,” she breathed, taking it all in again, “This place is amazing!”

Before Pekoyama could respond, their table was supplied with freshly baked bread, chilled wine, and menus. Being that it was a fine dining restaurant there were only four or five options on the menu, but each of them promised a four course meal that was sure to astound. They also had a small selection of gourmet movie theater snacks, which was rather charming of them.

“How did you find out about this place?” Sonia asked.

Pekoyama shrugged as she delicately buttered a piece of warm bread, “I spend a lot of time in the city. I see and find lots of things. What are you thinking about getting?

_ Expert deflection, _ Sonia thought sarcastically.

“Probably the fish! I have not had salmon in quite a while. Though they also have a pasta option which sounds absolutely divine.’

Pekoyama nodded, “I had my eye on the pasta.”

Sonia clapped, “Perfect! I shall get the fish and sample your pasta!”

“Take anything you want,” Pekoyama chuckled, “It’s your birthday. Happy birthday, by the way. Did I say that yet?”

Sonia figuratively batted the question out of the way in a pish-posh sort of gesture. “It is no problem, but thank you anyhow.”

She reached across the table and squeezed Pekoyama’s hand. Pekoyama squeezed back.

“You look beautiful tonight.”

Sonia blushed, “As do you.”

They both gazed into each other’s eyes for a little while before their waiter came around to take their orders. Credits rolled on the big screen for a few more minutes before a new film was started. It was obviously manually done like in the old days. Sonia smiled at the antiquity of someone alone up in the projector room diligently switching out reels. 

“Tell me, is school going well?” Pekoyama inquired.

Sonia nodded as she chewed a piece of bread, “Yes! I have joined a new club this semester and my classes are becoming much more interesting!”

Pekoyama took a bite of her bread, “Which club?”

“Debate!”

“Oh, you’re a great fit for that. I’d agree with anything you say.”

Sonia giggled, “Well, I hope to see you in the competitions then.”

This made them laugh, not only at the image of Pekoyama in such an organized activity, but also attending college. She was beyond such structural bounds. They both watched the film for a while without even realizing they’d got caught up in the plot when their appetizers showed up. Sonia’s was some sort of savory cheese pastry and Pekoyama’s were little toasts with diced escargot. They shared, of course, and it was some of the best food Sonia had ever had. She was almost nervous about the first course not matching up to the goodness, but it was surprisingly  _ better.  _ It was the soup of the evening; a rich lobster tomato bisque with house-made croutons. 

The courses didn’t stop coming once they started, as her empty bowl of soup was replaced with a plate of grilled salmon over a bed of purple rice with a black garlic balsamic glaze. Pekoyama’s main course was a plate of freshly made linguini pasta that was tossed in a creamy parmesan cheese sauce topped with clams. More sharing ensued, which was great because Sonia would have deeply regretted not trying as many things from this place as she could manage in a single trip. 

To wash down all of the heaviness from the first three courses was something unexpected: shaved ice. It was almost snow-fine shavings flavored with real fruit juices, lychee balls, and condensed milk. The waiters cleared their table before leaving them to their dessert.

“No check?” Sonia inquired, somewhat confused.

Pekoyama shook her head, “You pay in advance.” She ate a spoonful of her shaved ice. 

Sonia nodded and ate a bite of her own. She swallowed it before speaking up again. “How is work?”

For some reason the question put a pit in her stomach. What would a good answer be? Would she be angry at Sonia’s asking? Pekoyama shrugged and ate another spoonful.

“It’s…” she sighed, “it’s not easy. Some street gang has been rising up a bit in the ranks and trying to make moves on the clan’s territory. One of the bosses’ main men was shot during a break-in last week. I’ve had to up security around Master Kuzuryuu to a twenty-four hour shift. In fact, today is the first day I’ve had off since the last time we saw each other.”

Sonia frowned and put her hand consolingly on her wrist. Pekoyama smiled somewhat sadly back up at her.

“I’m not complaining, or anything. After all, this  _ is _ what I live to do. If any of the principal members in the Kuzuryuu household are harmed, well… let’s just say that’s not good for me. What’s even worse for me is if these roaches on the street think they can overpower us and decide to get a bit cheeky with their tactics. Then we’re all screwed.” At that, Pekoyama took a final bite from her shaved ice and pushed it away from her. 

“Is there no way you can get out of this?” Sonia asked impulsively, knowing as soon as the words left her mouth that she regretted asking.

But Pekoyama just chuckled and took Sonia’s hand in her’s. She kissed the back of it and looked into her eyes.

“It’s too late for questions like that.”

—

“So what’s this place called again?” Souda asked, his elbows on his jeans-clad knees as he slouched in the train seat while scrolling through a search engine. 

Gundham was sitting up straight in his seat with one knee crossed over the other as he looked at his phone, “I must say, for no lesser than the fourth time this afternoon, that the place of commerce which we will be teleporting to is called, in mortal terms, Fourth Dimension Oddities. Have you a hard time retaining this information?”

Souda couldn’t help smirking at the sardonic bit of sarcasm in Gundham’s tone. He sat back in his seat and pressed himself closer to Gundham, “Just couldn’t find it when I looked it up. Should’a known, though. You n’ Sonia are like, hipster royalty.”

Gundham scoffed and looked down at him, “By no means are our interests based on superficialities such as obscurance. It is mere coincidence that our interests are decidedly obscure.”

“Decidedly creepy is more like it,” Souda mumbled as he felt the train coming to a slow halt. 

The two of them exited the train together and walked down from the platform and into the downtown area of Towa City. They weren’t much of the holding hands types when in such a busy setting, but they still stood close to one another. It was only a few blocks before Gundham took a sudden turn down a narrow alley, his scarf billowing slightly behind him. Souda had to scurry a bit to catch up. Gundham waited outside of the door for a moment, which was surrounded by various strange knick-knacks and taxidermy. Once Souda had caught up with him, they walked in together.

Fourth Dimension Oddities was a dual-story building with a main and basement floor aligned with several sections of walls and racks filled to the tops. The store was dimly lit with stringed lights, hanging bulbs, and candles. It smelled sharply, almost nauseatingly of incense. As Souda slowly looked around there seemed to be more and more images and sculptures which frightened him. He rushed to Gundham’s side and clutched his arm, noting how much he fit in wearing his black peacoat, black pants with studded pleather straps around the thighs, and his ever-present purple scarf. Souda felt like bright pink prey wearing blue jeans and a red flannel over a shirt he’d won from a contest sponsored by his favorite energy drink when he was seventeen. 

“Jeez, man, it’s fuckin’  _ spooky _ in here! What kinda present are you gettin’ Sonia anyhow?” Souda asked as he clung to Gundham.

Gundham let him cling, barely showing that he noticed Souda glued to his arm in the slightest. He reached out and grabbed a necklace with an ominous disk made of various shades of blown glass shaped like an eye.

“This is an evil eye pendant which will ward off any hexes, curses, or negative energies which strive to sap her of her purest energies,” Gundham explained as he picked it up. 

He walked down another row and perused a little longer as Souda glanced nervously at a bleached wolf skull on a shelf in the corner. Gundham picked up two ornate, handmade journals. One of them was black with golden detailing that depicted planets and the night sky; the other was a shimmering yellow with black detailing which showed a large crow. 

“The Queen of Night is a masterful dream interpreter,” Gundham explained as he tucked the books under his arm, “She has made it a ritual to jot down each and every detail of her nocturnal hallucinations. By doing this, she has been able to obtain the power astral projection, which I will explain to you in greater detail at a later date.”

Souda was barely listening for the sake of his own sanity. He just stared at the fangs of the wolf and ran his tongue across his own teeth. He followed Gundham further into the store before the paused in front of a glass jewelry case that was set right in front of a display of somewhat disturbing, but mostly cool t-shirts. Souda sighed with relief and looked down into the case only to feel cold chills creeping up his spine. There were several pieces in the case which were designed to look like real severed body parts. There were fingers as earrings, bloody teeth as necklaces, eyeballs as cufflinks. He leaned against Gundham to brace against the shock.

Gundham perused the case as though the gory accessories were not there. He opened the case and reached in to grab a few pieces he had his eye on: a short, small golden chain necklace with a little pentagram charm, two silver rings with runes engraved into them, and a bracelet made to look like a bike chain. 

“Is this something which strikes your fancy? I may be mistaken, but this appears much as the same visage of certain mechanical parts which I have seen you working with,” Gundham inquired, holding out the bracelet to him.

Souda was surprised that Gundham was able to look past all of that nastiness to find something he might like; and he really did like it. He grinned toothily at Gundham and took it from his hand to try it on before kissing him quickly on the lips.

“Aw, man, this is really cool. Thanks,” he murmured.

Gundham smiled, obviously satisfied with himself and the things he’d picked out. He extended his bent arm to Souda so he could take him by the arm again as they walked down the spiraling set of iron stairs into the basement floor where the atmosphere went from a gothic fantasy, to some sort of mystical hippie lair. There were shimmering crystals, beads and bright tapestries on the walls, and rows upon rows of CD’s and records. A bell chimed as they descended into the basement, which summoned a tall man with sun kissed, brown skin and dark locs strode into the room from behind one of the walls of beads. 

“Hey hey, Gundham, how’s it hangin’?” 

“Yasuhiro, it is a pleasure,” Gundham greeted him with his darkly jovial nature as he set down his things on the counter, “This most magentous one at my side is Kazuichi Souda. My dear, this is Yasuhiro Hagakure.”

Hagakure bowed sarcastically as he rounded the counter to get behind the register. “It’s just Hiro, for short. And loosen up a little bit! Take it easy,” he said, reaching out and shaking Souda by the shoulder playfully, “Nothin’ for you to be afraid of down here! All that stuff is upstairs— I don’t like lookin’ at it all day.” 

Souda chuckled and leaned into Gundham’s side.

“That’ll be five-thousand yen,” he announced as he placed everything in a paper bag and put it on the counter.

Gundham handed him a few bills from his wallet. “Hey,” Hagakure started as he counted out a few coins worth of change, “you guys want your fortunes done? I’m clairvoyant, y’know.”

He said it with a playful wink at Souda, which made Gundham roll his eyes, “Please, Yasuhiro, your predictions do not stem from a fountain of truth. Do you recall the last time your tea leaves predicted my immediate transformation into a bog toad? Or when your tarot cards forecasted a most imminent demise by choking on a fish bone?”

“Hey man, I didn’t know you we’re pescatarian.”

“Vegan.”

“Whatever, man, it’s your religion. And I keep tellin’ you that my predictions are only as accurate as the tip you hand over. What am I supposed to get out of the fates without a tip, huh?” Hagakure questioned as he handed over the change.

Gundham chuckled and put it in his jacket pocket, “Well, perhaps you can glean a fortune in my near future. In that case, I will be sure to donate to you half of the profits.”

Hagakure laughed as well, “I’ll hold you to it.”

“Give Leon my best,” Gundham said as he grabbed the bag and turned heel to climb the stairs up and out again. 

“I’ll do that,” Hagakure called after the two of them, “Good to meet you, Kazuichi!”

“You too, Hiro,” Souda called back at him, trying to hold back a bubble of laughter from the sheer absurdity of the entire exchange. 

As they exited the store, Souda looked down at his wrist and saw the bracelet on his wrist when he realized Hagakure hadn’t marked it up.

“Ah, shit, Gundham, we didn’t pay for this.”

Gundham smirked, “I attempted to remedy the oversight with the addition of sufficient funds to his mis-tallied total, but he unfortunately missed it twice. Strange that should happen, though, if he were able to see it coming from his vantage point among the fates.”

Souda laughed and nudged him with his elbow. He liked that little bracelet even more. They walked with one another out onto the street again and the sun had set far into the horizon, leaving behind only a rosy dusk beneath the slowly encroaching blackness of night. Souda looked over at Gundham.

“Wanna go get some cake?”

Gundham chuckled, “I do believe neither of us have consumed sufficient sustenance to warrant the consumption of such confectionaries. Cake is not dinner.”

Souda scoffed, “Cake can be dinner! C’mon, man, yer an adult! Anything can be dinner if you say it’s dinner.”

“Interesting logic, but I will reserve my suspicion. Such temptations of the flesh should be reserved,” Gundham said before turning suddenly into a restaurant he found reasonable (without first warning Souda, in proper fashion). 

He was already picking things out at the little vending machine in the front before. He’d picked out some kind of spicy tofu soup and was waiting for Souda to pick. It was an easy enough decision when he saw an option for tempura soba. Souda insisted on paying and took the order slip with him to their table, where their waiter picked it up quickly after dropping off some tea. Souda rested his chin in his hand and gazed across the table at Gundham, admiring the lock of black and white hair which stubbornly hung down in a wave where the rest of his hair was pulled back. He noticed how the dusty purple bags underneath Gundham’s eyes were growing more defined. He’d been working longer hours lately on top of doing his schoolwork. Souda felt a pang of sadness within him; Gundham must have been so tired. 

Their bowls of soup were put in front of them, which made Souda realize that it had actually been rather chilly outside and that this was exactly what he needed. Like a dog who was afraid of getting his food stolen, Souda slurped his soup quickly. Had he eaten lunch? Regardless of the cause for his ravenous hunger, Souda remedied it faster than Gundham could eat his own. Souda gaped at the dish, which looked like pieces of tofu floating in straight up chili sauce. He could see the heat rising in Gundham’s face.

“Jeez man, that looks like lava! Can you even taste it?” Souda joked, taking a drink of his tea.

Gundham shot him a look as he blew on a steaming piece of tofu and put it into his mouth. “The concept of this dish is not to partake in the broth in itself, but in the silken soy concoction which is tofu. It has been penetrated deeply with spices—

“Gundham, don’t go talkin’ about deep penetration in a restaurant! It’s not decent,” Souda teased him.

Gundham tried to glare at him, but it failed as the giggles overcame him. This, in turn, made Souda laugh as well and they both had to struggle to keep their laughter quiet and suppressed, which only made the very action harder. They both eventually calmed down and wrapped things up there before leaving the restaurant. 

“Now can we get cake?” Souda asked, getting in front of Gundham and walking backwards to talk to him.

Gundham chuckled, “You are insatiable. And must you traverse in such a fashion, Kazuichi? You will undoubtedly collide with someone and I shall not be there to defend you.”

Souda shrugged, smirking at him, “Well, then you gotta be my eyes so that doesn’t happen! Tell me when we’re by that one place with the chocolate cake on a stick.”

Gundham rolled his heterochromatic eyes, but played along. “Keep in a straight line.”

Souda did so. He kept his eyes trained on Gundham’s and walked backwards in as straight a line that he could manage. People turned their heads to see what exactly he was doing as they passed by him.

“On your right.”

Souda didn’t turn around, but stepped to the left to see that he’d avoided colliding with a bike rack. He was busy watching the obstacle go by and hadn’t looked back up at Gundham.

“We have arrived, you may cease in this game.”

Souda took another step backwards without realizing what he said, but did so without realizing that he was approaching a curb. His arms swung around in circles as he tried to right himself, but before he knew it Gundham’s hand was on his back, pulling him in and away from the street and into his chest. He blinked for a moment, shocked at what had just transpired, but then backed out of his arms with a nervous laugh.

“C’mon, man, don’t go bein’ all dramatic!”

Gundham kept his arm around him and walked toward the store, “My intention is not to appeal to outlandishness, but to ensure your safety.”

Souda glanced back at the street. It wasn’t even busy! He smiled to himself and rolled his eyes as they walked through the store’s automatic doors. It was a bright place with white walls and large cases displaying their desserts. Souda excitedly approached the case of cakes.

“See anythin’ you like?” Souda asked Gundham as his eyes fell on a triple-tiered chocolate cake with mousse layers that was going by the slice.

Gundham chuckled and murmured to him, “Well, there is  _ something  _ within my purview which I long to devour, but I am not in the mood for sucrose alchimations at this time.”

Souda knew he was totally screwed because a dorky line like that put butterflies in his stomach. His cheeks went pink and he smirked at Gundham from the side of his eye. He decided on a variety platter of fruit jam-filled mochi balls and a slice of the cake to-go. Souda paid up and they made their way back out to the train station. They caught their train just in time, as it only had a minute left of boarding when they got up to the platform. They rushed onto the mostly empty train car and took a pair of seats next to each other near the back. Once they were seated, Souda reached into his bag of treats and pulled out the box of mochi.

“To my recollection, it was a  _ cake _ you were so ardently pining for,” Gundham pointed out, watching as Souda sank his sharp teeth into a large, pillowy white piece of mochi filled with a dark red jam.

“Too meshy fer the train. Plush, we can share this way,” Souda said with his mouth full, holding the second half of the partly-eaten mochi, “Want shome?”

Gundham smiled softly at the gesture and reached out to take the piece from his hand, but Souda pulled it back.

“It’s too squishy— yer gonna get it everywhere. Just open,” he said, holding it in front of Gundham’s mouth.

He rolled his eyes and looked around to make sure no one was staring at them. Reluctantly, Gundham opened his mouth and let Souda feed him the other half of the mochi. Souda grinned at him with a smarmy self-satisfaction and wiped with excess rice flour on his pants.

“Good, huh? I think that one’s cherry.”

Gundham pulled his scarf over his face a bit and turned to look out the window. Souda chuckled, put away the box of desserts, and rested his head on Gundham’s shoulder as he played a game on his phone. The stops went by one at a time, announced cheerily by a little chime and a girl’s voice over the intercom. Even though it was a Friday night, the train out of town was rather empty and quiet. Souda was almost lulled to sleep by the gentle vibration of the train, but was determined to stay awake. He sat up once he heard the stop before Gundhams and looked over at him. Gundham had drifted off while looking out the window. Souda smiled softly and gently shook his shoulder.

“Gundham… Gundham, babe, wake up,” he yawned and stretched his arms, letting one rest around his shoulders, “It’s almost yer stop.”

Gundham blinked his eyes and turned to look at Souda sleepily, which made Souda feel as though his heart was literally melting. Gundham shut his eyes again and nuzzled himself into Souda’s side, resting his head on the front of his shoulder. Souda smiled; Gundham was always ultra-affectionate when tired.

“Might I reside in your dwelling this evening?” Gundham murmured, his voice low and rumbling.

Souda couldn’t even dream of saying no, even if he wanted to, “Of course, man.”

It was only another stop out anyway. Besides, Hinata would probably be asleep by the time they got there. Souda stroked Gundham’s back and watched the nighttime scenery of the city roll by. Gundham yawned and stretched as he sat up just before they were to exit the train. The train station was about three blocks away from Souda’s apartment, which they traversed rather quickly, as the night had grown rather chilly.

Once they had got up to the apartment and taken off their shoes, Souda could hear Hinata talking to someone on his headset in the living room. He looked up as they came inside and waved quickly while mouthing:  _ “Hey, I’m in the middle of a thing!”  _ Before getting back to what sounded like a rather complicated team effort happening on the screen. Souda unpacked his bag from the dessert shop and lifted up the mochi box to tap hard on in and get Hinata’s attention. Once he looked up, Souda gave him a thumbs up, as a way of indicating that he could have some if he wanted. Hinata smiled and nodded as Souda put his cake in the refrigerator.

Souda walked back into his room to find Gundham already dangling his bag of things on Souda’s door handle. Souda walked over to his dresser and procured a pair of sweatpants which Gundham was accustomed to borrowing during their last few sleepovers. Gundham took them from him and promptly removed his shirt, which made Souda go just about the same shade as his hair. Gundham began to unbutton his pants, so Souda quickly turned back to stare into the dresser drawer dumbly. He could hear Gundham’s chuckle at this little move as Souda stepped out of his own jeans and set his beanie on top of the dresser.

“I am decent at this time. I swear, you will not violate my delicate sensibilities,” Gundham chuckled.

Souda laughed anxiously and turned back around. Gundham was taking his hair down, strong arms lifted over his head to make a perfect journey of sight from his biceps, to the silver barbell piercings in his nipples, to the low place on his hips where the grey sweatpants stopped. He gulped, his mouth suddenly dry. Gundham smirked. Souda coughed into his fist.

“L-Let’s go brush our teeth,” he said quickly, speeding past him to get into the bathroom. 

Souda got his toothbrush out of the cabinet, as well as the one Gundham kept there. For some reason, grabbing the thing gave him butterflies. There was something finite in his everyday life which never failed to remind him of Gundham; it felt strangely domestic. He handed off the brush to its owner and they both got to it. Souda inspected his teeth for a moment in the mirror after spitting out the toothpaste as he waited for Gundham to do the same. Souda shut his bedroom door behind them and waited for Gundham to get into the bed before turning off the light.

He climbed in alongside Gundham and wrapped his arms around him. He moved his face up and pressed his lips against Gundham’s to say goodnight, but there was something dark and lingering about this kiss. Souda kissed him again and felt Gundham sigh into his mouth, sending a shiver down his spine. Gundham moved his hands to Souda’s jaw and licked into his mouth, which made Souda tangle one of his legs between Gundhams as he pressed against him. 

They hadn’t done much in the way of getting explicitly sexual. Sure, their make out sessions got a bit hot and heavy at times, but Souda hadn’t been exactly ready to let things progress too far. Gundham had been understanding as ever, but it was beginning to frustrate Souda. His anxiety had got in the way of plenty of things which he was mostly willing to let slide, but keeping him from getting busy with Gundham was absolutely unacceptable. Gundham wasn’t expecting him to be perfect or something like that, so what was making him so nervous?

Souda kept kissing him as he moved his hands up to Gundham’s chest and grazed one of his barbells with his thumb. Gundham smirked into his lips and arched into the touch as he ran his hands down Souda’s back. Souda shivered at the feeling of his cold hands through his t-shirt and tweaked Gundham’s nipple, which earned him a hitching breath.

“What has got you so confident this evening?” Gundham murmured thickly between kisses. 

Souda shrugged and dragged his lips down Gundham’s jaw to his neck. That scarf had been on him all day, hiding the pale skin which Souda so much liked to admire. All of the girls Souda had been with before tended to get a little freaked out with his teeth so close to their neck, but Gundham just laced his fingers through his hair. Souda was quite aware of just how sharp his teeth were and carefully grazed the delicate flesh of Gundham’s throat with them. He could feel the race of Gundham’s pulse as he did so. Gundham swallowed and began breathing harder as Souda dragged his tongue over the spot and paused for some gentle suction. He kept this up for a little while longer before inspiration struck him. 

He kissed and nipped his way down to Gundham’s chest. The metal ball on the end of Souda’s tongue piercing occasionally clicked with the ones on either end of the barbells, which seemed to add to the sensation as Gundham sucked in a breath through his teeth and moved his hips forward. This caused Souda's thigh to be properly wedged between’s Gundham’s; he could feel the solid weight of Gundham’s hardness through his sweatpants pressing against him. 

Just then, Gundham moved his hand out of Souda’s hair and down to his jaw in order to kiss him once more. Gundham pulled Souda’s shirt off in one clean motion and adjusted their positioning so that he was mostly on top of him with their legs tangled together. Souda’s heart was absolutely pounding. He could feel Gundham’s cock sidled up next to his own through their layers. 

Gundham held himself up so he was stooping over Souda, the wave of his hair hanging in his face. “Is this alright? Are you comfortable?”

Souda appreciated his straightforward question and nodded. Gundham nodded back and leaned down to kiss him again, pressing their bodies together. Souda dragged his blunt nails up and down Gundham’s back before deciding to take a leap and grab a handful of his ass. Gundham chuckled lowly in his throat, but rolled his hips against Souda all this same.

This was nearly too much for Souda, as he was already at full hardness without even being properly touched by Gundham yet. He moved his other hand down and groped Gundham’s ass with a soft moan. Souda ducked back down and sucked purple hickies onto Gundham’s clavicle. This caused Gundham to moan into Souda’s ear; a ragged, sweet sound which Souda quite wanted to hear over and over again. Gundham moved his hand between them, pausing just above the hem of his boxers.

“May I?”

Souda swallowed hard, but nodded adamantly, “Y-Yeah.”

Then Gundham’s hand dipped below the waistband and curled around his cock. Souda practically mewled as Gundham pumped him a few times while lazily pressing kisses to his jaw. His hips rolled up into his fist as he threw one of his arms around Gundham’s shoulders to hold on to him. 

“C-Can I do you?” Souda managed.

“Please,” Gundham responded quickly.

Souda moved his hand into Gundham’s sweatpants and felt him for the first time. He was… big. Just a little bit shorter than Souda himself, but thicker. Souda rubbed him for a moment before closing his fist fully around Gundham’s cock and jerking him off. 

“Ah, just— one moment,” Gundham said after a few moments of going at it. 

Souda’s hand stilled and they both removed their hands from each other’s pants. Gundham moved his hips a little and pushed his sweatpants fully off. Souda got the hint and made quick work of getting rid of his boxers. Gundham adjusted himself so that he was on his knees between Souda’s legs. He moved his hair out of his face and pressed his lips against Souda’s skin, making a trail leading to Souda’s dick. 

Souda breathing got hard, “Are you really gonna—

Gundham paused and looked up at him through his lashes, which made Souda’s cock twinge. “Would you prefer I not?”

Souda shook his head, “No, no! That’s not meant at all I was just… checkin’ in I guess.”

Gundham chuckled and pressed his plush lips against the weeping head of Souda’s cock, making Souda melt into the pillows. He dragged his tongue up the shaft of Souda’s cock, earning a gasp as well as some squirming. Then, like it was the easiest thing in the world, he slowly took Souda all the way into his mouth. Souda moaned hard and laced his fingers into Gundham’s hair. Then he remembered that Hinata was innocently playing games in the living room and put his other hand over his mouth. But Gundham was relentless; he slowly bobbed up and down, pausing to apply extra suction at the head. Souda moaned again into his arm and rocked his hips shallowly into Gundham’s mouth, which he took in stride. Souda suddenly felt close—  _ too _ close.

“G-Gundham— oh  _ fuck _ , h-hold on.”

Gundham came off of him and sat up to straddle Souda’s thigh. He lined their cocks up and wrapped his hand around both of them as best as he could manage before grinding against Souda. Souda felt utterly blissed out, watching as Gundham jerked both of them off. Gundham moaned again, voice cracking at the end of it. Souda spit into his own hand and moved it down to take over for Gundham, who allowed him to immediately. 

Gundham steadied himself with a hand pressed against the pillows next to Souda’s head as he rolled his hips into the sensation. He moved a lock of pink hair out of Souda’s face with his free hand before leaning down and pressing a long kiss against his forehead. The tenderness of the gesture made Souda feel choked up for some reason, so his moan came out in a shaky breath. Gundham moved back and looked between them, watching as Souda’s began to twitch and his hand began to quicken.

Gundham leaned down and kissed him, moaning into his mouth as a shockwave of pleasure rolled through him. Souda began to tremble somewhat and his moaning became more strained.

“Ah, shit, man, I’m almost there,” Souda said into his lips with a shaky laugh.

Gundham reached down and took over in order to supply some rhythm to the whole operation. Souda’s hands scrambled for purchase as he got closer and closer to coming. They finally settled with one on Gundham’s hip and the other on the back of his neck. 

“Oh,  _ gods _ , Kazuichi,” Gundham moaned in almost a sob, “I... I—

That was enough to send Souda right over the edge, breath catching in his throat for several seconds as he came all over Gundham’s torso as well as his own. Gundham wasn’t far off either, as his fist came to a stuttering halt moments after Souda was spent. He moaned scratchily into Souda’s ear, the hand that was once holding him up now tangled in Souda’s hair. 

They both lied there for a moment, catching their breath and coming down from the wave of endorphins. Gundham pressed gentle, lazy kisses to Souda’s jawline which only made it harder for him to get up. 

Souda tapped Gundham’s naked side. “C’mon, get up for me, we need a towel.”

Gundham carefully moved off of Souda so that he didn’t make a mess anywhere. Souda shook the mouse on his computer so the room would be lit up just a little bit. He found a towel he used the morning before and wiped his own torso off before going over to Gundham and wiping him up as well. Souda strategically wadded the thing up and put it on top of his laundry pile before joining Gundham in bed once again. 

Souda pulled his boxers back on, but Gundham elected to sleep nude. He lied on his back and sighed contentedly as Gundham curled into his side and wrapped his arms around Souda’s torso. He smirked in the darkness and he put his arm around Gundham’s shoulders

“That was fun,” Souda commented, a touch of wild thrill in his voice despite the exhaustion.

Gundham pressed his lips to his collarbone, but seemed to already be drifting off past the point of discussion. Souda listened as Gundham’s breathing grew deeper and slower. He let it lull him to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here be the smut! lol writing this chapter made me feel so nervous for some reason? i’m trying to just plant little seeds at the moment, so sorry if it feels like this is taking a while to really get on it’s feet. also the title is a song by fishmans, not the title song to the anime hehe  
> thank you all so much for your support, especially those of you who have come over from CSISO!! <33


	3. Needle’s Eye

Most people would be annoyed by the sheer amount of noise that mounted up inside of The Breedery, but Gundham found the cacophony of mewing, squawking, barking, hissing, chirping, and all the rest to be quite monotonous. Due to their rise in popularity, the grouping of creatures taking residence in the shop had been rotated from a rather mundane stock to an amalgamation of animals which were quite extraordinary. And, of course, where there came brilliance also came cost. The exotic animals in the Tanaka Breedery were racking in much more of a profit than the animals which usually took up lodging. 

Two twin ferrets curled themselves into the crooks of his arms as he reached into their cage to set down their food. Finally, the last cage on the feeding chart had been checked off. Gundham smiled and walked over to the computer with both of the weasel-like creatures in his arms. He set the larger, blonde one on a small perching pillow beside the monitor while he held the black ferret as he checked the email. There were a few client inquiries, some subscription list emails, and one strange, official-looking email from the address “clfcae@mail.org” The ferret curled into his arm with a content sigh as he clicked on the message.

_To: Tanaka Breedery <tbreedery@mail.jp.co> _

_From: Cynologique de France <clfcae@mail.org> _

_“Dear Ena and Gundham Tanaka,_

_We at the Federation of Canines hope this correspondence finds you and your family well. To spare no time on frivolities, this message is meant to extend an invitation to both of you in hope that you will attend our multi-species show in Paris come December and partake in the festivities as honored judges in the competition._

_The both of you would be judging canines, felines, reptiles, rodents, and aquatic life in a series of categories over an entire day. As you may have already thought to yourselves, this competition is unlike any other in the world of domestic beastial shows. It is a large undertaking, but a worthy one. As we understand it here at the Federation, much of your clientele is made up of individuals who partake but competitions such as these— it seems like the natural course of action for you to become a proper judge in such a venue. Not to mention the recent success of the “Beasts in Question” blog run by Mr. Tanaka, which has taken much of the animal-enthusiast world by storm._

_The Federation is prepared to cover all travel and boarding costs for the trip up to seven days. Having you both at the show would be an honor. Do email us back with an answer as soon as you can._

_Best Wishes,_

_Cosette La Voure; The Federation of Canines, Paris (Cynologique de France)_

Gundham blinked at the words on the screen dumbly for a moment before reading it again. His chest grew tight and a lump formed in this throat as pride and shame collided within him. That same guilty gratefulness which domineered over all of his accomplishments was filling him up and threatening to pour over the sides. It was an honor to have such an invitation extended to himself and his mother, but it was an honor he could not fully take ownership of. Gundham had no doubts about the sincerity behind the praise, but he believed it to be a mere symptom of manipulation. 

While he bore no ill-intent toward the people in his life or the work he did, Gundham felt as though he was guilty of playing one huge, elaborate trick on anyone and everyone who had ever approved of him. Sure, he’d always felt like an outsider in this world. On one hand, this gave him a profound feeling of individuality (which bordered on superiority in his younger years). But on the other hand, it made him feel isolated and detached. Because of this, much of his life felt like a facade that he had delicately put together in order to convince others of his decency or importance — like he was some creature masquerading as a person. 

The ferret turned over in his arm, losing its comfortable spot and squirming. Gundham sighed and stroked the ferret as before placing it next to its sibling on the pillow. The two of them turned and squirmed before settling into a nap curled into each other. Gundham couldn’t help but smile at the sight. He watched them breathe deeply in tandem and felt the heaviness inside of him grow a little lighter. He glanced up to check the entrance of the shop before getting up and walking up the stairs to the front door of their loft. He opened it and leaned his head in.

“Mother? Are you presently occupied?” he called.

Ena called back, “Just folding some laundry, sweetheart, what is it?”

“There is something which needs your attention,” Gundham replied, trying purposely to be vague as he shut the door and went back down the stairs.

A moment later, Ena was making her way down. She descended and rounded the corner with a partly-curious, partly-concerned expression on her face. Gundham gestured to the computer. Ena reached down and grabbed the glasses she kept down in the shop and put them on before reading the email. Gundham watched as her mouth silently moved while she read and her expression changed from confusion to excitement. Ena turned and threw her arms around Gundham’s neck.

“Oh my god!” she squealed, causing the ferrets to lift their heads and narrow their black eyes with groggy petulance, “I am so _proud_ of you— we are _absolutely_ attending! Make sure you tell them, Gundham, make sure you let them know that we’ll be there!” 

Gundham laughed and hugged her back, “As you wish.”

Ena parted from him and held him by the shoulders, smiling widely at him, “Aren’t you so excited? Paris, Gundham! And all because of your hard work with that website of yours. I can see it now, Gundham, you’re going to take good care of me when I’m old with all of that money you’re going to make! All of this before you’ve even received your degree — wait until your grandfather hears about this!

Gundham just laughed at her excited babbling as he tried to ignore the pulling of guilt in his stomach. She kissed his cheeks, asked him to print the email out, and then rushed back upstairs to call her father. Gundham smiled at the ferrets and pet them both in an attempt to soothe them back to sleep when his mother’s footsteps could be heard descending the stairs once more.

“Just close up for the day, sweetheart, we’ll take an early weekend! I’ll do dinner and evening cleanings later on,” she said with a kind smile that looked so much like both of his sisters. She started back up the stairs before turning back around to stick her head around the corner, “Why don’t you invite Sonia and — erm… Soba?”

Gundham quirked a brow, wondering what she was referring to before realizing to whom she meant to refer. Gundham couldn’t help laughing.

“M-Mother, he is named _Souda_!” he laughed, “Kazuichi Souda!”

Ena laughed as well at the slip-up, “Yes, well, invite him as well. I can’t believe you haven’t brought him around! Should I be worried?”

Gundham knew she was being sarcastic, but still shook his head adamantly, “While I cannot speak on behalf of the fatalistic tendencies of nature, it can be most assured that Kazuichi bears no harm or ill-intent.”

It was a simple claim, but it made Gundham’s heart race. The words felt like absolute truth to him; as though he had divined the knowledge straight from a higher realm. Ena winked at him and made her way up the stairs once more. Gundham grabbed his phone before tapping the screen and bringing it to life. He selected Souda’s contact and pressed the little phone icon.

“Heyyyy,” Souda answered on the third ring, “‘Sup, babe?”

The pet name made heat rush to Gundham’s cheeks, as Souda didn’t often use nicknames. “Good afternoon, dearest. Are there any events which will require your attention this evening?”

“Hmm…” Souda hummed; Gundham could hear him grinning, “Nah, I’m free. Why?”

“Excellent. I am extending to you an invitation for supper at my abode. My mother has requested your audience, in particular.”

“Ahh, well I can’t say no to that! ‘Bout time I met her, anyhow. Just don’t go fluffin’ up my reputation to her or nothin’, okay?”

Gundham chuckled, “I shall refrain from doing any such ‘fluffing,’ but I must warn you that even the most factual and impartial proclamation of your achievements will most undoubtedly sound ostentatious. I suppose this cannot be helped, though. You have such monumental accomplishments.”

Souda laughed, “Ahhh, see! I should’a known you were gonna go and butter me up no matter what. What time should I be there? Me and Miu should be done out here around five or six— I could come by after I take a shower.” 

“That sounds most adequate,” Gundham affirmed. Something stirred inside of him; a blooming heat which climbed his throat. It made him feel as though he _had_ to profess something he couldn't find any eloquent phrasing for. It made his heart race.

“A-And I am looking forward to seeing you. I have missed you” Gundham added quickly, damning the fact that he couldn’t find a better way to phrase it. 

Souda chuckled bashfully on the other line, “Aw jeez, Gundham, I’ve missed ya too. See ya in a few hours, ‘kay? Bye.”

Gundham worried his bottom lip from his teeth with a smile, “Until then. So long.”

—

Sonia had to decline the invitation to dinner with much regret, she just had too much homework to get done. But Souda showed up right around the time he promised. Gundham had waited for him outside of the shop’s door, arms coolly crossed over his chest. Souda smiled at him as he stepped out of his car and approached Gundham. Gundham smiled back, appreciating the way his braid bounced underneath his black beanie. Souda shoved his keys into his jeans and nervously rolled up the sleeves of his black and white raglan shirt before taking Gundham’s hand.

“Hi,” he said sweetly.

“Greetings,” Gundham replied, walking with him into The Breedery.

Once they were off of the street, Souda seemed more keen to give Gundham a proper greeting. He turned to Gundham with a smug look on his face and backed him up against the freezer (the one which kept frozen carcasses and meat for carnivorous animals, no less). Gundham, surprised by the advance, had to catch himself on the lip of the freezer in order to keep his balance. Souda pressed himself against Gundham and looked up at him through long, dark eyelashes which Gundham so adored. He rubbed his hands from the middle of Gundham’s thighs to push up his long, somewhat distressed black sweater up to thumb circles over his hips. 

“These are nice,” Souda murmured, lip’s brushing Gundham’s. He was referring to the black tights which clung to Gundham’s legs.

Gundham bit his lip, giddy over the sudden attention but trying to keep his composure, “Kazuichi, you are playing a tricky game — my family is upstairs.”

Souda smirked and pressed a kiss to his lips, “Sorry, yer thighs just get to me.”

He stepped away from Gundham and walked through the rest of the store to get to the stairs, perusing some of the animals along the way.

“You guys don’t take care of any fish? It’s be cool to see a shark in here if you—

Suddenly, Gundham grabbed him by the wrist and turned him around; he wasn’t just doing to let Souda get away with his little stunt. In one fluid motion, he held one of Souda’s arms behind his back while holding the other one above their heads. Souda couldn’t hide the excitement on his face and bared a devious piranha grin up at him. 

“Let me assure you of this — my darling — you may have caught me by surprise, but you must make an effort to _truly_ best me,” Gundham said slowly.

Souda smirked, “Oh will I?”

He punctuated the inquiry with another kiss before slipping out of Gundham’s grip. Gundham led the way up the stairs where Souda took off his shoes. Gundham watched as his fingers slipped and fumbled while untying his laces and he crouched down to look up at Souda, pink strands of wild hair hanging in his face.

“I can assure you, they will be smitten with your presence,” Gundham said softly before reaching up and pressing a gentle kiss to Souda’s lips.

Souda sighed softly and kissed back before parting and resting their foreheads together, “Thanks.”

Gundham smiled before standing back up to let Souda slip off his sneakers. Gundham took his hand and walked with Souda into the loft where they were immediately met with the sight of Ena cooking diligently at the stove. She turned around at the sound of the door and smiled excitedly. Souda waved bashfully and bowed to her.

“I-It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Tanaka,” Souda said quickly.

Ena waved her hand with a pish-posh gesture and extended her arms for a hug, “Kazuichi! It’s so nice to meet you! Call me Ena.” 

That seemed to capture Hoshi and Ama’s attention and they both came running from the sitting room where they’d been watching TV. Hoshi gasped and Ama, blushed hard, hid behind her mother.

“Look at his teeth!” Hoshi exclaimed.

Souda smiled nervously, which revealed his set of sharp teeth. Ena’s eyes widened and she took Souda’s chin in her hand to move his jaw in order to get a better look at his teeth.

“My word, that’s just fascinating!”

She let him go and Souda rubbed his cheek, looking up at Gundham with an amused grin, “Runs in the family, huh?”

“Lemme see, lemme see!” Hoshi demanded, jumping up and down.

“Hoshiko, don’t be rude,” Ena admonished.

Souda didn’t mind, though. He squatted down and smiled at Hoshi and Ama.

“Wow…” Hoshi gasped, reaching out a tiny finger.

“No fingers, Hoshiko,” Ena warned.

She paused her movement and dropped her hand. Souda chuckled at that.

“I’m Kazuichi,” Souda said to both of them, “And you are…?

Hoshi puffed out her chest and stood up straight, looking very serious, “I’m Hoshiko. That’s my sister, Amaterasu. She thinks you’re cute.”

“Hoshi!” Ama squeaked from behind her mother, horrified.

Souda laughed and stood back up, “Well, it’s nice to meet you all. What’re you makin’, Ena?”

She walked back to the stove and got back to cooking, “Fried tofu. Don’t worry, I know how to make it so it’s not all styrofoam-y.”

Souda laughed at that as he looked around the loft. Seeing his boyfriend getting along so well with his family filled Gundham with that familiar bittersweetness. How could someone like him be so lucky? He shook off the feeling and took Souda’s hand.

“Do call for us once the setting must be transplanted onto the table. I must show Kazuichi the fairings of the Dark Devas of Destruction,” Gundham said, leading Souda back to his room.

“Okay, boys, it won’t be long! Give Cham-P a big kiss for me! And wake Leviathan up if he’s in there, Ama is going to feed him.”

Ama whined in protest, but the sound of her stomping to get the cat his food could be heard as Gundham and Souda entered his bedroom. The large, darkly colored maincoon darted out of the room as soon as the door opened. He’d heard the bag crinkling from all the way across the loft. Souda chuckled and strolled over to the hamster enclosure. All of the rodents seemed busy as ever, whether they were running in a wheel, chasing one of their family members around the tubes, or digging into the bedding.

“Man, the little guys grew up quick, huh? Can’t even tell ‘em apart anymore.”

Gundham nodded, “Yes, they are fully grown now. I will have to sell all but two of the litter. We cannot risk mutations occurring in the gene pool.”

“Is that why you haven’t named ‘em?”

Gundham nodded. Souda sighed and walked around Gundham to sit on his bed. He followed and sat next to Souda, trying to hide the confusion and nervousness he felt from that reaction.

“Did I utter something which upset you?” Gundham asked carefully.

Souda shook his head before covering his face and lying back on the bed, groaning with frustration, “Ugh, I just… I feel like I’m all over the place.”

Gundham leaned over and placed a concerned, yet supportive hand on his chest. Souda reached a hand down and grabbed it, gently rubbing his thumb across his knuckles. Gundham felt a swell of affection.

“My dad called me today. Said Momo’s movin’ in and I gotta go up to the house and help pack up some of my mom’s stuff. I know he’s not doin’ it to get rid a’ her — it’s more just to make it his and Momo’s place instead a’ his and my mom’s place. I just… I don’t wanna have to pack what’s left of her up and put her away,” Souda explained, his voice cracking at the last word. 

Gundham frowned, hating the fact that Souda felt so troubled. He squeezed his hand, “I do not wish to be presumptuous, but would you prefer I go with you?”

Souda’s eyes looked misty and his lip quivered, “C’mere.”

Gundham moved himself higher onto the bed and scooted closer to Souda. Souda wrapped his arms around Gundham’s neck and pulled him close. Gundham hugged him tightly around the middle as Souda pressed kisses to his face and jaw. 

“You’re the best, y’know that?” Souda whispered to him, “You’re, like, so amazing, Gundham.”

Gundham just held him tighter, not knowing whether he wanted to laugh or cry. They held each other like that for a few more minutes before Ena called for them from the kitchen. Gundham began to part from Souda when Souda reached out and gently pulled him back down with a hand on his cheek. Souda kissed him slowly before looking into his eyes and running his fingers through Gundham’s streaked hair.

“I mean it, ‘kay?”

Gundham forced a smile and nodded. He got up and led the way back into the main part of the loft so he and Gundham could set the table. Souda was in charge of making a pot of tea, pouring it, then making another for the remainder of dinner. 

“The girls drink tea like fish,” Ena explained.

“Well it smells great,” Souda complimented, “Where’d you get it from?”

Ena seemed excited to tell him, “Well, the coffee shop on the corner has the _worst_ coffee, but their loose tea leaf blends are to die for. They come out with seasonal flavors! This blend has snowbud, marigold, and hazelnut, but it’s really light — an amazing brew for the evening…”

Gundham watched as Souda politely listened and engaged with his mother in conversation while he placed the table settings. It took a weight off of his shoulders that he hadn’t even registered, seeing his two of his favorite people get along so well.

And yet, there was still some bittersweetness. 

But for the most part, Gundham beat back the feeling as they all ate together. Souda complimented Ena on her cooking adamantly, which made her blush and laugh. Hoshi ate her food and drank her tea, all while looking down in her lap at a small picture book. Ama slouched in her seat as she ate, almost as though she were trying to hide the fact that she was staring at Souda.

“So, Kazuichi, what is it that you do again?”

“Well, I’m a mechanic, but right now I’m working on a robot with my friend. She’s the brains of the whole thing, I just make sure the mechanical stuff is working okay.”

“You made a _robot_?!” Hoshi gasped.

Souda chuckled, “Yeah, I did. His name is K1-B0, but we call him Kiibo.”

Hoshi practically had stars in her eyes, “Wow…”

“My, how impressive! And how did a mechanic meet my son?”

Gundham blushed and looked away. Souda chuckled and continued. 

“Actually, we went to school together when we were kids.”

Ena looked surprised, “Really? Gundham never told me that.”

Souda looked somewhat embarrassed, “Yeah, I don’t blame ‘im. I was pretty irritating back then, anyway. After all, I was constantly goin’ for his best friend.”

Ena laughed, “You fancied Sonia when you were kids?”

“Yup, and worst of all? I was convinced all the way up until about a year ago that she and Gundham were a couple.”

This made all of the girls laugh heartily. Gundham grew redder and tried to hide his face with his hands as he drank his tea. They continued eating for a little while longer until Hoshi and Ama were excused. Ena waited until they were out of earshot and then leaned closer to Souda.

“So, did Gundham tell you what we got invited to?” she asked quietly.

Souda looked somewhat confused and he shook his head. Ena smiled and procured the printed out copy of the email from her pocket to hand to Souda. He quickly read the letter and his smile grew exponentially. When he was done, Souda looked at Gundham and took his hand.

“This is amazing, Gundham!” he exclaimed as quietly as he could without getting the kid’s attention, catching on to the fact that they didn’t yet know

Gundham smiled bashfully and looked down. Souda squeezed his hand and handed the email back to Ena.

“Are you guys gonna go?”

“Of course!” Ena responded, “We wouldn’t miss it!”

Souda pressed his lips to Gundham’s knuckles, “I’m really proud a’ you.”

Gundham smiled at him, and allowed himself to try and touch the sweetness. “Thank you.”

—

Gundham stared into his closet in an attempt to summon the most casual garments from his collection of clothing. He wanted to keep things relatively lowkey when meeting Souda’s father for the first time. After a while of looking, he decided on a pair of dark grey jeans and a loose, black hoodie which he’d worn only once or twice. As he buckled his belt and examined the tiredness of his eyes without any eyeliner, he received a text from Souda telling him of his arrival. Quickly, Gundham threw his scarf around his neck and ran out the door before pulling on his boots. 

Once he stepped outside, he could see Souda looking down at his hands. His hair was pulled back, which showed off the fact that his eyes were somewhat puffy. Gundham rushed to the other side of the car and got inside.

“What has caused this distress?” Gundham asked, worried.

Souda shook his head, “No, no, don’t worry about it. Just been havin’ a rough mornin’.”

Gundham reached out and took his hand. Souda smiled a touch sadly before reaching out and embracing him.

“Thanks for comin’ with me today.”

Gundham gently rubbed his back, “I would not desire your solitude in any venture, especially not now.”

Souda moved back before pressing a kiss to Gundham’s lips. He gave Gundham a reassuring smile before getting on the road. Gundham noticed the difference in Souda’s music choice that morning; what was usually some kind of pumped up punk music was now replaced with something slower and more melancholy. Gundham reached over and placed his hand on Souda’s knee. After almost twenty minutes of driving, Souda spoke up again.

“My dad’s not gonna be there today, by the way. He’s packin’ stuff up with Momo at her place. We just gotta move the furniture in the living room and take down the pictures. He said I can have whichever ones I want.”

Gundham looked around as they began to climb in elevation, “I have not traversed this path as of yet.”

“Yeah, there’s not much up here,” Souda said rather frankly.

They didn’t say much as they made their way to Souda’s childhood home. Once they turned into the gravel driveway, Souda sighed with relief. 

“Good, we’re alone.”

There were all sorts of vehicles everywhere, so it appeared as though there were actually several people there, but Gundham assumed whichever car indicated Souda’s father’s presence was not around. They both climbed out of the car and made their way up to the front door.

“He’s doing better, don’t get me wrong,” Souda explained as they walked, “I just don’t wanna have to deal with all of it, ya know?”

Gundham nodded and followed him into the house after the door was unlocked. As they took off their shoes, Gundham looked around. It was a rather open, spacious place with very few walls and only one hallway. Souda whistled.

“Wow, Momo’s already got it lookin’ good in here. It was pretty dingy the last time,” Souda said, looking around and picking up various little knick-knacks and decorations that were obviously new to him.

He looked over at the set of furniture in the sitting room. There were a few low tables, a sofa, some ottomans, as well as some end tables alongside floor lamps.

“Might as well start here,” Souda shrugged, unplugging one of the lamps, “Just take what you can into the back room.”

Gundham nodded, taking the other lamp and following Souda back into a large enclosed patio/laundry area. They continued to take things they could carry on their own, leaving the larger things for last. 

“This dwelling is rather grandiose,” Gundham observed on his fourth trip into the room. 

Souda chuckled, “Yeah, my grandpa and his brother built it in the seventies, that’s why a lot of it looks so retro. No way my dad could’ve ever afforded a place like this if it wasn’t passed down to him.”

“Will you be the one to inherit this home?” Gundham inquired.

Souda paused as he picked up one end of a table, “Well, I never thought about it. But yeah, I guess.” He shot Gundham a smirk as he picked up the other end of the table, “Y’wanna live here with me?”

Gundham’s face warmed and he chuckled, walking forward as Souda walked backward, “So long as I am invited.”

They set the table down in the room and Souda walked over to press a kiss to his cheek, “Yer always invited.”

With the two of them doing the job, they made quick work of moving the furniture and leaving the sitting room totally empty. Souda grabbed a large box and a canvas bag from behind the stack of furniture and walked back into the house to start on the farthest end of the hallway. Gundham held the box as they walked down the hall.

“My dad said his room is all cleared out — he put everything in the attic,” he explained as he started with the first few couple of pictures and placed them into the box in Gundham’s arms, “We’ll put this box up there.”

Souda finally paused as he took down one of the larger photos. He turned it around and showed Gundham a picture of himself and his mother sitting next to each other on a bench in front of a fountain. Gundham realized something different about this photo among any of the ones he’d seen before. Souda looked older, like he was already going through the very beginnings of puberty. He knew his mother fell ill when he was only about eleven or twelve, but that seems so much younger than it actually was.

“This was the last picture I took with her before she got sick,” Souda explained.

“She is beautiful,” Gundham said, “Will you keep this encaptument of your visages?”

Souda nodded and slid it into the canvas bag. His eyes seemed water and he clearly swallowed a lump in his throat, but Gundham decided to give him his space for a moment. Souda made his way through the hall of pictures gradually; packing most and taking some. Once the walls were bare, Souda reached around inside of a closet before finding a wire hook. He used the hook to pull down the door and ladder from the ceiling. 

“Need help?” Souda asked and Gundham stepped up to the ladder.

Gundham shook his head and stepped a few rungs up before sliding the box across the floor of the attic. He used his hands for the remaining way up before stepping up into the large space. Souda followed him up and grabbed the box to take over to a few others on the furthest end of the attic. Once setting it down, Gundham walked over and stood with him.

“Are you assured that you have chosen enough?” Gundham asked quietly.

Souda took a breath and nodded, “Yeah, I don’t wanna overload the apartment with a bunch of stuff. I’ll come get more of it when I move out.”

Gundham nodded, fiddling with the edge of his scarf. Souda turned around and pulled a dusty blanket off of his huge, old bean-bag chair before flopping down into it with a sigh. He reached his arms out toward Gundham, gesturing for him to come sit with him. Gundham smiled and walked over before sitting with his legs thrown over Souda’s lap. Souda smiled up at him, rubbing his thigh.

“Thanks again for doing this for me, man,” he murmured.

Gundham cupped his jaw and stroked his cheekbone with his thumb. Souda leaned up and pressed his lips to Gundham’s. It seemed as though Souda was feeling a bit better; he kissed him back a little harder and ran his tongue across his lower lip. Souda sighed into Gundham’s mouth and pulled him closer. Gundham felt the butterflies beginning to pool in his stomach and his breathing becoming a little harder to control. He adjusted himself so that he was straddling Souda with one leg on either side of his lap. Souda tugged Gundham’s scarf down and pressed fervent kisses down to his collarbone. Gundham groaned as Souda’s sharp teeth teased his skin. He sank his fingers into Souda’s shoulders and squirmed in his lap.

They were so wrapped up in one another that, in fact, neither of them heard the front door open. It wasn’t until the bottom of the ladder creaked and Souda’s father called up into the attic for him that they realized he had returned to the house. Souda looked up at Gundham with wide, fearsome eyes and quickly moved him off of his lap just before Hideki’s head popped up through the hole in the ground.

“Hey,” he said with a scratchy, cigarette-strained voice, “Couldn’t hear me all the way up here?”

Souda swallowed hard, but forced a chuckle, “Yeah, sorry ‘bout that.”

Hideki shrugged and looked over at Gundham with a smirk, “Woah, man, are you in a metal band or somethin’?”

Gundham was rather confused by the whole situation and awkwardly fiddled with his scarf. Souda frowned at his father. 

“Don’t be rude, man.”

Hideki chuckled and rolled his eyes as he climbed all the way into the attic, “Okay, okay. Jeez, you sound like Momo.” He gestured at Gundham with his thumb, “Who’s this?”

“My friend Gundham, dad.”

“Friend, huh?” Hideki smirked before turning to look Gundham up and down, “Don’t talk much, do ya?”

Gundham shrugged. Hideki turned to address Souda.

“I had to come by and get Momo’s purse. You wrapping up around here?”

Souda nodded briskly. Hideki clicked his tongue awkwardly before waving at Gundham again and making his way down the ladder.

“Good to meet ya. Call me later, son.”

“Okay,” Souda called after his father. 

They both sat silently, listening as Hideki’s footprints went down the hall, into his room, down the hall again, and out the front door. Gundham felt something sinking inside of him. He heard Souda hurriedly get up from the bean-bag chair, but didn’t look at him. 

“Gundham, I’m so, so sorry. I’m such a fucking idiot, I don’t know why I did that — I guess I just freaked out, or something. Please tell me I didn’t hurt you or anything,” Souda groveled desperately, sounding on the verge of tears, “I’m so fucking sorry Gundham, please don’t hate me I just—

Gundham looked up at Souda, which silenced his blubbering. Souda sniffed as tears began to roll down his cheeks. Gundham sighed and reached up to wipe them away. Souda nuzzled his face into Gundham’s palm and held his wrist. Gundham stood there with him as he cried, quietly comforting him. Souda couldn’t be so open with his family as he could, Gundham knew this and didn’t hold it against him.

But he also knew something else.

Gundham felt he knew — though had no real reasoning to think so — that Souda was somewhat ashamed to be with someone like him. He sighed as Souda pressed a kiss to his palm, the tenderness of the gesture almost bringing him pain. He closed his eyes as Souda wrapped his arms around his neck. Gundham pulled him closer. He didn’t care if all of this ended up hurting him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lemme just start by saying how sorry i am that this took so long to update! i was worried about finishing up the story’s overall outline before writing the chapter, which took a while, and then the world just got a little bit crazier! i’ve been busy doing some protesting for black lives matter, so there was that too ^^; i hope to get the rest of this story on a more consistent update schedule, as we have a LOT of ground to cover. thank you all for sticking with this series!!! it means the world <3


	4. Crown Victoria

Souda had never chainsmoked to such a degree in all of his days of smoking cigarettes. He and Miu were a mere ten minutes away from displaying Kiibo to a team of important figures at the college: the President of Towa City College, the Dean of the STEM program, a few interested professors, and some lucky masters students were all set to be present. They’d decided to keep Kiibo powered down until their demonstration was set to begin, so the garage was rather quiet, save for the soft sound of Remnants of Despair blasting through her headphones. Souda exhaled a stream of smoke as Ibadashi entered the facility.

“Kazuichi,” he admonished with a dramatic cough, “Open up another door, it stinks of tobacco.”

Souda rolled his eyes and walked outside as Miu paused her music to speak to Ibadashi. Showing off Kiibo to Dr. Ibadashi had been rather intuitive; a natural course of action for the betterment of Kiibo’s progress. He was understanding and excited about everything Miu and Souda brought to the table. This extension of courtesy made it easier to show their beloved creation off, but the prospect of having to prove themselves and their metaphorical “baby” to the college board made Souda extremely nervous. He glanced up at the top of the hill which descended down to the garage and spotted a short, skinny figure with a mop of brown hair descending the walking path. Chihiro Fujisaki waved with one hand and held onto their laptop bag with the other. It was a breezy, brisk day and the flared bottoms on their brown corduroy pants shook stiffly in the wind. They jogged down to Souda with a shy smile on their face.

“Hey,” Fujisaki greeted in their soft tone, “I’m not late, am I?”

Souda blew out a thin stream of smoke, “Nah, they’re not here yet.”

Fugisaki nodded and stood next to him, shivering all the while. Souda took another drag before looking at them.

“Miu’s inside, bro, you don’t have to go standin’ out here when yer all cold,” Souda said to them.

Fujisaki nodded and rushed inside, “Th-Thanks.”

As Souda tapped out the ash of his cigarette, he saw a small group of older adults striding down the path where Fujisaki had just been. Souda’s skin prickled and he rushed inside before they could catch sight of him.

“They’re here!” Souda exclaimed in a loud whisper as he shut the door behind him.

Souda rushed over to his workbench and pulled on his starchy white lab coat which Ibadashi had brought down from the STEM department over his jumpsuit. Miu was fully ready and stashing her phone and headphones away in her bag. Fujisaki logged into their computer and began methodically connecting wires to certain access points on Kiibo. Souda had barely reached up to button his coat when the door to the garage opened. He abandoned the task, hands scrambling to his clipboard. Dr. Ibadashi approached the group of faculty and prepped them with some pleasantries. 

“And  _ these _ ,” Ibadashi emphasized, waving his arm grandly to gesture to the three students as they approached them, “are the people responsible.”

The President, a short, white-haired man, smiled as the three of them bowed upon introduction. Ibadashi stood between Miu and Souda.

“This is Miu Iruma,” he said, gesturing to her, “The proverbial mastermind behind the entire operation.”

Miu smiled, “It’s so good to meet you all — I promise, you’re all going to have your minds blown.”

Ibadashi cringed a bit at the phrasing, but he seemed thankful she was at least being clean about everything. The President laughed jovially.

“I’ve been hearing non-stop about the magic occurring in this garage. You’re quite the talk of the town.”

“And it’s not just talk,” Ibadashi added, “What’s been achieved here through science and mechanical engineering is nothing short of magical, no? This is the project’s co-founder, Kazuichi Souda.”

Souda cleared his throat nervously, “N-Nice to meet you, sir.”

“Ah, Kazuichi, is it? Remind me, what exactly is your part in all of this?” the President asked.

“Erm, well I uh — I dealt with the mechanical stuff, ya know? Most of the big building projects and some detailing. Miu did all of the brainstorming and blueprinting — I just did the grunt work,” Souda responded.

This made the group chuckle. Ibadashi turned and gestured to Fujisaki, who was diligently reading advanced statistics on their computer screen.

“This is Chihiro Fujisaki, a colleague of Kazuichi and Miu. I apologize, Chihiro, but I don’t know much about the specific details of your role.”

Fujisaki looked up and waved kindly, “Hi, that’s okay! I just helped develop the hardware and software.”

Miu rolled her eyes and smirked, “They’re too humble, but I guess that’s the short of it. Is everything lookin’ good?”

Fujisaki nodded as they shut their laptop and unhooked Kiibo from the wires, “Yup! Everything’s running smoothly — we can get started whenever you’re ready.”

Miu nodded, “Well then, let’s do it. Everyone can spread out and stand wherever is best for you. Sir, follow me.”

Souda walked alongside Miu, feeling somehow out of place standing next to her as she led a pack of people; he felt he should be in the very back of the crowd, standing on his toes in hopes of getting a peek. Fujisaki rounded up the last of their things and began to pack it up away from the crowd. The group formed a staggered circle around the powered-down husk of Kiibo’s body. There was a hushed murmur as people got a better look at him. Souda and Miu approached; Miu gave Souda a glance, which told him not to act just yet. He swallowed and darted his eyes from the ground to any empty space he could see; everyone’s eyes made him queasy. Miu circled Kiibo as she began to speak.

“This is K1-B0, though Kazuichi and I have been calling him simply Kiibo. I’m sure you’ve heard of his AI. I’m sure you’ll be scrutinizing every single move he makes, trying to judge for yourself just how ‘amazing’ he can really be. Well, let me be the one to make a guarantee to all of you right here, right now. This isn’t going to be like anything any of you have ever seen in your lives,” Miu boasted.

Souda’s stomach flipped. Why did she have to get everyone’s hopes up?

“Kazuichi, wake him up,” Miu instructed.

Souda swallowed hard and looked at Kiibo slouched over in a chair, eye’s slowly gleaming on and off, “Kiibo, wake up.”

Instantly, his eyes blinked themselves onto their teal displays and he sat up. Kiibo smiled, turning and looking at all of the people, who had gasped when he instantly came to artificial life. 

“Hello, everyone,” Kiibo greeted, eyes scanning the crowd before landing on The President. 

Kiibo smiled almost knowingly and stood up. He strode over with human-like steps, which made the crown begin to murmur again. Kiibo bowed to the President.

“Pleasure to meet you, sir. I am K1-B0.”

The President laughed and looked to Souda, then Miu. “He’s very impressive!”

Miu nodded like she’d heard it all before, “Wanna talk to him? Souda, get the man a chair.”

Souda gave her a look out of the corner of his eye but quickly walked behind the encircled crowd to retrieve another fold-out chair for the President to sit on. Kiibo allowed him to get settled in his seat first before sitting as well. Souda glanced around as a few people took their phones out of their pockets. Miu noticed at the same time and clapped her hands together loudly.

“No pictures or videos,” she said sternly, “Kiibo, remember who had their phones out.”

Kiibo nodded, “Done.”

Those who were attempting to capture his visage swiftly put their devices away for fear of Miu’s wrath. The President smirked.

“Can you really remember  _ everyone _ who had their phones out? Half of them must’ve been out of your line of sight.”

“Actually, sir, I have three-hundred and sixty degrees of vision at all given times. My eyes are my frontal cameras which grants me a forward scope of almost exactly, if not slightly more than the average human’s peripheral vision. However, I also have smaller cameras,” he pointed to each of them, “on both of my shoulders and on the back of my neck. My body also emits a short field of ultrasonic and infrared waves through a small sensor behind what might be called my solar plexus — it detects heat and movement.”

“Goodness, that is a much more thorough answer than I was expecting,” he chuckled, crossing his fingers over his stomach and relaxing back in the seat, “We oughta submit you to get a Loebner prize.”

“Sorry, sir, I ramble when I’m excited!” Kiibo divulged.

There was a small murmur amongst the crowd. The President quirked a brow.

“These are interesting statements for a robot to make.”

Kiibo chuckled, “What I mean is: I have a wealth of information and sharing it is something I have not much practice at doing in a non-trial setting. It is something I have been, well, ‘looking forward to,’ for lack of a better term.”

The President smiled at Kiibo, marveling at him. There was a rush of excitement to Souda’s heart that must’ve been what getting an award felt like. The President looked over at Souda.

“You’ve done some amazing work here,” he said.

The excitement deflated, turning to confusion. Why hadn’t he addressed Miu, the leader of this whole operation? Sure, he felt as though he should get  _ some  _ recognition for Kiibo’s invention, but not  _ all _ of it! Surely not when Miu had worked so hard. He dared to glance at her only to see a woman barely holding back a rage-induced outburst in front of many esteemed individuals. The fire in her eyes and shaking of her fists made him quickly turn his gaze back to the middle of the circle where the President had carried on with the conversation.

“So, Kiibo, what is your power consumption like?”

“Well, currently I am at ninety-eight percent of my main power source — which lasts twenty-four hours in casual mode and twelve in combat mode.”

“Do you have other power sources?”

“Yes, but the other lasts a comparatively short time and is only to be used in some kind of emergency situation,” Kiibo then looked over at Miu, “Am I mistaken in thinking you’re following through on plans for expanding my battery life?”

Miu seemed relieved that Kiibo addressed the question to her, “Yes, that’s right. Since  _ I _ am the developer of this project,  _ I  _ will think up a new battery schematic  _ and then _ I’ll consult Kazuichi on how to make that happen  _ if  _ I need his help.”

Souda swallowed awkwardly as a few people in the crowd exchanged looks. The comment didn’t seem to land with the President, as he just continued on with his questioning.

“And what is this ‘combat mode’ you referred to?”

“My body is outfitted with both laser and projectile weapons. In combat mode, I am intended to move and act with the utmost accuracy.”

“Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s conduct some trials!” the President suggested.

Souda and Miu nodded to each other and then looked at Kiibo. 

“Kiibo,” Souda said, “Follow me.”

Diligently, Kiibo stood up from his seat and began to follow Souda over to his workbench. Kiibo waved goodbye to the President as he walked. Miu stood in front of the chair where Kiibo had been sitting.

“We are going to conduct a series of trials with Kiibo. The first is of uncommon intelligence — the thing that elevates him systematically from humans. The second is a few games of go, and the last is a demonstration of his battle mode.”

Miu went into a little more detail and answered a few questions about Kiibo’s body as well as what the trials would entail. Souda walked with Kiibo out of the garage, making his way to his car. 

“Wow, this is a beautiful campus,” Kiibo observed, taking in all of the scenery around him for the first time.

Souda chuckled, “Yeah, it’s alright. Sorry we didn’t get you out sooner, buddy.”

Kiibo followed him out to the parking lot where Souda promptly shut him down before carefully situating him so that he was sitting in the passenger seat of his car. Souda drove around to the other side of the campus, struggled in getting Kiibo out of the car and over to the sidewalk, turned him away from the direction of the garage, and drove back. It was a weekend, so Souda wasn’t worried about someone screwing with Kiibo, more that his location mechanics wouldn’t be up to par. Still, he quickly made his way back to his parking spot and hurried back inside.

Miu glanced at Souda walking through the doorway as she spoke, “So, Kazuichi has just taken a powered-down Kiibo across campus and left him somewhere. We are testing out remote commands for this model— ” she pulled a small remote from her lab coat pocket and pressed the only button on it, “— if we have succeeded, Kiibo will be able to receive a waking command from a point of nearly three-hundred meters. He should also be able to locate the source signal which commanded his power, so the fact that he has never been out of this building shouldn’t be a problem for him to find us. It should be about twenty minutes, so why don’t we take a short break?”

Souda sighed with relief and rushed out of the garage for Miu to answer all of the questions of the small group which formed around her once the meeting was broken up. He desperately needed a cigarette after all of that. Once he was a respectable distance from the entrance he lit up and took a deep inhale. Occasionally, he looked over to his left — the direction Kiibo would/should have been making his merry way toward. He didn’t notice a stirring of the loose gravel next to him, so when a finger tapped his shoulder he yelped from surprise and nearly jumped out of his skin. Once he’d calmed down, he realized it was one of the girls from the crowd. She was shorter than he was with black hair, straight bangs, and dark eyes which were wide behind her glasses.

“Ah! Excuse me! I’m sorry if I’m interrupting,” she apologized.

Souda shook his head and tried to catch his breath with a drag of his cigarette.

“Nah, yer good,” he said, trying to blow his smoke away from her, “Sorry ‘bout that.”

She nodded with a relieved smile, “Well, I just wanted to get a chance to meet and commend you on all of this before I had to leave early. There’s something I need to tend to, or else I would have definitely stayed longer.”

Souda smiled, “Awh, thanks for comin’ by anyway. It means a lot to me n’ Miu.”

She shook her head, “No, no, it was really an honor to see all of this. I know you don’t really realize it as much as she does right now, but you guys are making history. I hope to see more of you both this semester. Best of luck!”

And with that, she was off. Souda smiled, feeling more confident with the exposition as a whole. He looked off in the direction Kiibo would have been walking a little while longer as he smoked. Souda looked over to the right of the wide open field dotted with art fixtures and saw the library. He thought about Gundham and Akamatsu studying and occasionally chatting in whispered tones over scattered pieces of loose-leaf paper and opened textbooks. They’d insisted on coming to the campus with Miu and himself despite the fact that it was a closed meeting; they’d just study until they were done, Akamatsu had insisted. Souda had been surprised she had an entire day on the weekend to spend at the library, what with all of the recording she had been doing for the Remnant’s newest album. 

Souda lingered there for a little while after his cigarette was out, avoiding having to go inside and be subjected to questions Miu was better for answering at that point in the presentation. After about ten minutes of scrolling on his phone, he went back inside of the garage where people were beginning to congregate back into the small crowd from before. Once Miu announced the break to be over, she led the group outside near-ish to where Souda had been smoking a little bit ago. They all watched in a hushed tenseness in the direction Kiibo would have been arriving in any minute.

And arrive, he did.

Kiibo, looking around curiously as he walked, turned a corner and came into the far vision of the spectators. A few people clapped, which spurred another round of crowd-wide applause. Kiibo waved at everyone, putting a jog in his step so he could make his way over faster. The crowd parted for him as he approached Miu. 

She smiled at him, “Kiibo, what did you see on your walk?”

“So many things!” Kiibo looked to the President, “This is a very fine campus, sir. I saw the fountain, which had ducks! I’ve never seen ducks before. I also saw the large abstract sculpture just between the Humanities building and the Student Center. Oh, and I saw the baseball field, which is next to the agricultural sanctuary!”

“Why don’t you show us?” she asked.

Kiibo nodded and faced the side of the building. He blinked and his eyes instantly transitioned from their LED displays to a pair of projectors which played a high-definition video from Kiibo’s point of view of his journey across the campus. The crowd watched intently, laughing when familiar faculty members gave him a double take as he walked by. The video played all the way up until the point when he turned the corner, came into the view of the crowd, and approached Miu.

“Thanks, that’s enough Kiibo,” Miu instructed.

Kiibo blinked and the video projection was gone. His teal eyes were once more pleasantly looking into Miu’s.

“Kiibo has a short-term default on his recording systems that allows for the last hour of his waking-time to be fully recorded and saved. It also makes it so anything funny that happens nearby him is automatically saved whenever I want it to be. For example, play that thing from last week.”

Kiibo knew what Miu was referring to and blinked his eyes. On the wall was projected a video of Souda riding one of the rolling creepers he and Miu used to get under tight spaces down the length of the garage. Being that the thing had rolling wheels like an office chair, it couldn’t take Souda successfully across the divet in the concrete flooring and sent him flying as the creeper halted. Miu cackled in the background of the video and laughed more politely in real time. Souda blushed and rubbed his elbow, which was still scraped from that little incident. He tried to avoid the amused looks from some people in the crowd, embarrassed by the attention.

From there, Miu asked everyone to move over to the small area of benches and tables nearby. Miu directed Kiibo to sit as Souda set up a go board in front of him. Miu looked around. 

“Any volunteers?”

Several hands shot up immediately, most of them being masters students. Miu picked on a smug-looking, tall man who took a seat across from Kiibo. Souda hadn’t the faintest idea as to how the game of go worked, so rather than bore himself by watching he decided to go back inside of the garage and check on how Fujisaki was doing in running diagnostic on Kiibo’s battle mode.

Souda lit a cigarette as he entered the building, being that Ibadashi wasn’t around to chastise him. Fujisaki was sitting by their laptop at a small fold-out table he and Miu put out when more people came around to the garage. Sitting next to them was the tall, muscular man who usually worked on his motorcycle on the other end of the building.

“Hey, I didn’t know you guys knew each other,” Souda said as he walked over, standing in front of the table where they sat.

The biker flashed his purple eyes to Souda’s and smirked, “I could say the same for you.”

Souda narrowed his eyes. Had this guy always had a blonde pompadour? Fujisaki smiled at Souda.

“Kazuichi, this is my friend Mondo Oowada. Mondo, this is Kazuichi Souda.”

They both nodded approvingly at each other. Souda took a drag and blew it out away from the two of them.

“How do you guys know each other? Doesn’t seem like you’d run in the same crowd,” Souda observed.

Fujisaki chuckled, “Souda, I’m a part of a motorcycle club! Actually, that’s most of the reason why I can’t be at a lot of these expositions going forward — our club goes on rides over the weekends!”

“So you’d rather go out n’ ride around on a motorcycle all day instead of doing this?” Souda asked, somewhat offended.

Fujisaki laughed, “Well, it’s not the most exciting thing I could be doing, so yeah, I would. Besides! Most of the fun part for me is over, I’m just here to work out some of the kinks. By the way, his battle diagnostics are doing great. I know you’ve been worried about the slight pause during the mode shift, but that shouldn’t be a problem anymore.”

Souda breathed out another pull from his cigarette with relief, “Thanks, man. Well, yer always invited to any of these that you wanna come to, ‘kay? Yer like the kid’s godparent!”

Fujisaki rolled their eyes and laughed. The three of them discussed motorcycles and street-bikes for a while before Miu appeared in the entrance.

“Itchy! C’mon, shithead, we don’t have all day,” she said with an edge of irritation before hurrying off.

Souda said goodbye to Oowada and Fujisaki before grabbing up a box of target practice items and jogging after Miu. The group walked down to an open field nearby the agricultural sanctuary. The spectators all lined up so they could watch the display before them. Ibadashi, who had been smiling non-stop and standing near the President, gave them a thumbs up.

“Now we’re going to do a short demonstration of Kiibo’s battle capabilities. Stay where you’re standing, it’s the safest option,” she said to the crowd before turning around to make sure Souda and Kiibo were on opposite ends of the field.

Souda put together the last pieces of the skeet-shooter, loaded it, and gave Miu a nod. Miu nodded back and looked at Kiibo.

“Kiibo, it’s time to fight!” she announced grandly. 

Suddenly, Kiibo’s face fell into a blank expression. He kicked his feet and jumped into the air, activating the two jet-powered wings on his back and taking flight. The crowd gasped. The President looked amazed. Kiibo’s arms transformed from humanoid appendages into twin plasma cannons studded with small, missile-like projectiles. Souda set the shooter to the highest speed, aimed it high in the air, and loaded black plastic disks into it. Kiibo incernerated the disks with frightening accuracy, darting around the sky to get each one. As the stack of disks ran down, Souda procured a sort of cross between a t-shirt cannon and a shotgun which shot off small bean bag rounds. 

His hands fumbled getting the rest of the bean bags into his pockets, finding himself made nervous by the cold, calculated method of extermination Kiibo was able to employ; they hadn’t been able to properly test the battle mode as of yet and the results were both desirable and terrifying. Once the disks ran out, Souda swallowed hard and began shooting at Kiibo, trying his best to evade and aim at the same time.

Kiibo switched from his plasma beams to the projectiles, which caused the bags to explode in mid-air. Souda ran around the field, trying to get one over Kiibo however he could, but he was too quick. This was a sign of his motion detecting working in an exemplary way. Kiibo’s processing allowed him to detect, target, and track a given object almost instantaneously. The bean bag rounds eventually ran out, so Souda threw his hands up and the gun down, knowing Kiibo would come after him next. 

“Kiibo!” Souda called to him, “Quit battle mode!”

Kiibo blinked, his personality and pleasant disposition returning to his face. He transformed his arms back to normal and slowly descended to the ground. Souda panted, looking at Miu with a wide smile. She returned it as the crowd erupted into another round of applause and cheers. They basked in the pride of the moment for a while before the lot of them made their way back to the garage. A long line stretched far back into the building as Miu allowed anyone who wanted to ask Kiibo a question. Miu, Fujisaki, and Souda all stood next to one another in front of the President, Ibadashi, and the rest of the esteemed faculty in attendance. The President smiled at Souda.

“Well done, young man. Kiibo is the pride of Towa College, unequivocally. With your permission, we would like to introduce your creation to several important institutions across the country! What do you say?”

Souda blinked at the man, surprised beyond verbiage. Why was he so convinced Souda had been the mastermind behind the operation when Miu had done most of the talking all day? Ibadashi and Fujisaki exchanged horrified looks. Miu was almost shaking with rage.

“Mister President, sir,” she said through gritted teeth, “Kazuichi is  _ not  _ the lead engineer of this project. Is that clear enough now? The person you should be asking for  _ me _ , if acknowledging my place in this operation isn’t too hard for you.”

Ibadashi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. The President wiped his hands nervously on his coat.

“My apologies, Miss Iruma,” he apologized with a clearing of his throat, “Erm — the question still stands if you choose to accept.”

Miu smiled with self-satisfaction, “Why, I would be honored!”

After the awkwardness of the moment passed, Miu and the President got along swimmingly and coordinated ways to communicate about future meetings. Souda, glad to be out of the tension that was that conversation, decided to text Gundham and tell him and Akamatsu to come down to the garage. Fujisaki gathered their things and said goodbye to Miu, Souda, and Kiibo, of course. 

Bored as he waited for Gundham’s arrival, Souda watched the line of people asking Kiibo questions gradually get shorter. He overheard some of them asking Kiibo strange, personal questions as though he were a fortune teller, which was the furthest thing from what he was actually programmed to do, but he was being a good enough sport about it. Others tried to challenge him by asking him about the meaning of life or giving him oxymoronic riddles. 

A short guy asked: “If I tell you that everything I say is a lie, am I telling the truth?”

Kiibo gave it a moment of thought before responding: “I suppose the true answer to that question lies within your mind and your mind alone!”

The guy walked away grumbling, which made Souda chuckle. Then, he heard Miu’s shrill squeal behind him. Souda turned around to see Akamatsu stumbling backwards as Miu threw herself into her arms. Gundham smirked at the display. Miu launched into all of the details of the exposition and Gundham walked over to Souda. Souda bit his lip, noticing how the masters students ogled at his boyfriend. It could have been for any of many reasons, whether it be his long, dark coat, black pants with white pinstriping, studded and buckled boots, pierced ears, or eye makeup. Gundham adjusted his scarf so his voice wasn’t muffled by it.

“Greetings, my dear,” he said, placing a hand over Souda’s.

Souda smiled up at him, “Hey.”

The two of them glanced between each other’s eyes and lips, obviously wanting to kiss but feeling hesitant in front of so many strangers. Souda settled for lacing their fingers together and giving a squeeze. Gundham looked over at the line of people waiting to speak to Kiibo, which had shrunk down to about 4 people. 

“Ah, I see that your man born of mechanism has captured the heart of the doting masses,” Gundham observed.

“Yeah, it went really good today. Have you met him yet?” Souda asked.

Gundham shook his head. Souda was surprised, wondering how that slipped his mind. It seemed Miu had wondered the same thing, because she was pulling Akamatsu over to him. Miu cut the line, but Souda and Gundham stood at the back of it. Kiibo grinned and bowed to Akamatsu.

“Kaede! It’s so great to finally meet you, Miu’s told me so much about you. Your music is my favorite!” he gushed.

Akamatsu looked equal parts flattered and stunned. She laughed incredulously.

“Wow! Thanks, Kiibo!” she managed, looking between him and Miu as she spoke.

“Ask him a question,” Miu urged.

Akamatsu thought for a moment about a good question before finally asking, “What’s the chance of a meteor hitting the Earth right now?”

Kiibo considered the question for a shorter time than it took for Akamatsu to think of it. “I am assuming you’re referring to an asteroid with a large enough diameter to make a notable impact on the planet’s surface. While it is certainly not improbable for space debris to make contact with the Earth, the degree of destruction which you are thinking of is highly unlikely — an event such as that has only happened once in the last hundred-million years. But for a comet of reasonable size to only make partial, yet significant damage… statistically, the predicted figure for something like that to happen is about one in three-hundred-thousand.”

Akamatsu gasped, “Jeez that sounds… low.”

Kiibo laughed, “Yes, I suppose when you compare it to the probability of a shark attack — one in three million — it  _ does  _ seem rather low. Perhaps some further independent research will have to be done on my part.”

Miu turned around and looked at Souda and Gundham, “Come up here.”

Souda looked at the graduate students in front of him apologetically, but they shook their heads pleasantly and allowed the two of them to skip the line as well. Gundham stopped in front of Kiibo and sized him up. Kiibo smiled and bowed.

“I take it you’re Gundham, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you. Please, ask away.”

Gundham’s eyes narrowed. Souda swallowed hard, feeling nervous at the way Gundham was scrutinizing his work. 

“Have you a soul within that metallic husk?” Gundham asked, looking him up and down. 

Souda felt like screaming. Why did Gundham have to ask such a weird question? Kiibo chuckled and shook his head.

“I don’t, or at least I don’t think so,” Kiibo answered, “Can I ask  _ you  _ a question?”

Gundham nodded.

“Do  _ you _ have a soul?” Kiibo inquired.

Souda blinked, staring back and forth between them. Gundham stared at Kiibo with a blank expression before his face split into a grin. He laughed his deep, booming laugh and put a hand on Kiibo’s shoulder. Kiibo laughed as well. Souda just stared, wondering if he had missed out on some kind of inside joke the two of them had established. 

The four of them waited around a little while longer to allow the last questions to be asked before they got around to putting Kiibo away. Souda hooked him up to his power sources while Miu gently polished away some scuffs he’d accumulated.

“You did so amazing, Kiibo,” Miu cooed.

Kiibo smiled, “I had a great time! Everyone’s questions were so interesting, I’ll be thinking about some of them for a long time.”

“You like to think about things in your sleep mode?” Miu asked.

Kiibo shrugged, “In a way of speaking, sure. I cycle through my daily recording, extract impactful moments, and run them through a deep-dream learning program.”

Souda made the final connection and stood up, “Everything good, buddy?”

Kiibo nodded, “Yes, all systems are running efficiently.”

Miu moved her hand behind his neck and pressed the button there. 

“Goodnight, everyone,” Kiibo managed before shutting down.

“Good… night…” Akamatsu responded awkwardly. 

Souda and Miu both gathered up their things quickly, leaving some of the mess for them to return to on Monday. 

“We’ll be right back,” Miu called to Akamatsu and Gundham, who were watching short videos on Akamatsu’s phone, as she and Souda walked to the restrooms to change into different clothes. 

Souda changed into a pair of somewhat ripped jeans, a bright green band t-shirt with multicolored pop-art, and his favorite red flannel. He left the bathroom to see Miu stepping out in a pair of black leggings, a new white Remnants t-shirt she’d tied at the hem, and a long, baby-pink cardigan which he usually saw Akamatsu wearing.

Akamatsu looked up at the two of them, “Dinner? Gundham and I are starving.”

Miu clapped her hands, “Let’s go! Itchy, you’re driving.”

—

The four of them went downtown and roamed through a variety of food stands lining the walls of a few alleyways. Souda enjoyed the leisure of strolling arm in arm with Gundham. He’d learned to find amusement in the staring of passersby who often looked at him and Gundham for the ways they both looked and dressed. With Miu and Akamatsu leaning on each other and giggling just a few paces in front of them, people had been looking at them like they were a small parade. Souda didn’t care, though. He felt high on the jubilation of the evening.

After they’d got food and were taking a walk, Gundham and Souda had fallen behind the girls, who were walking several steps ahead and stopping at little knick-knack booths. Watching as Akamatsu purchased a pink bandana, Gundham spoke up.

“My family is residing at the farm on this eve — the mists of obscurity have manifested too thickly in the countryside and have delayed their journey until the morning. Would you like to accompany me in my abode?”

Souda smirked, the butterflies in his stomach fluttering, “Sure, sounds good.”

It wasn’t long thereafter that they made their way back to the car, dropped the girls off at Miu’s apartment, and drove to The Breedery. Souda drove around the corner into the alley and parked in the spot that the shop reserved for deliveries. It was the first time Souda had seen the side entrance to the loft, which was an iron-wrought staircase leading up to a door that opened into the laundry room. They ascended it to be greeted by Leviathan noisily mewing at Gundham once they entered the loft. Gundham chuckled as he took his boots off and left them on the mat. Souda took his shoes off and left them alongside Gundham’s before following him into the kitchen.

“Please, do not linger on my behalf — go into my dwellings, get off of your feet,” Gundham suggested.

Souda smiled at him, “I should probably take a shower real quick, ‘kay? Can I borrow something to wear?”

Gundham nodded, “All that is mine is free for your taking.”

Souda rolled his eyes, but kissed Gundham’s cheek with appreciation. He walked through the loft, appreciating the Tanaka family’s appreciation for ambient lighting as much as they accommodated the fear of the dark for one Hoshiko Tanaka. There were soft yellow lights plugged into various sockets which did enough to direct Souda to Gundham’s room.

He quite liked Gundham’s bedroom. There were small bulbs of a gentle purple color strung around the edge of the ceiling which Souda plugged in as he walked inside. It was perfumed with the smell of earthy incense and the crisp shavings in the bottom of the hamster cage. He expected the hamsters to leave a smell that was much like the shop’s, but Gundham stayed on top of cleaning the cage to the point where all Souda noticed was the quiet noise of their squeaking, scuffling, and chirping. Souda crouched down and stuck a finger between the bars to pet Maga-Z’s grey little head. 

Souda went into the bathroom and started the shower before tracking down a towel. He tossed his jacket back into Gundham’s room, stripped down the rest of the way and got into the shower. The water was a warm comfort which soothed muscles he didn’t even know were aching. He closed his eyes and hung his head underneath the stream, letting the water saturate his hair and run down his face.

After a little while of just enjoying the water, Souda looked around the shower to find Gundham’s body wash. Smelling it in such concentration made Souda’s heart race. He smiled to himself and poured the soap into his hand. As he finished washing up, he heard the door to the bathroom open.

“Gundham?” he called.

“Hm?” Gundham hummed as though he weren’t the one who just entered the bathroom unannounced.

Souda heard the undoing of a buckle and the shuffle of clothes hitting the floor. Then, the curtain was slid back as Gundham stepped inside of the shower. Souda’s breath hitched. Gundham smirked at him as he tossed his natural wave of black and white hair out of his eyes. Souda’s eyes travelled from his face, to his chest, then down Gundham’s hips to his half-hard cock.

“Hey,” Souda breathed.

Gundham chuckled and took Souda’s face into his hands. He kissed him, getting his face wet underneath the stream of water and smearing his eyeliner. Souda kissed back fervently. His arms wrapped around Gundham’s waist and pulled him closer, their bodies touching. Souda walked Gundham backwards until he was against the tile wall. Gundham sighed into his mouth, rolling their tongues together. 

“Thanks fer comin’ by today,” Souda managed between kisses, one of his hands moving up to hold the back of Gundham’s head where it was shaved. 

Gundham smiled, dragging his lips across Souda’s jaw until he found his way to tracing the shell of his ear with the tip of his tongue. Souda shivered and pressed closer to him. Gundham reached between them and adjusted so that their cocks were sidled up next to each other, pressed up against their stomachs. Souda rocked his hips into Gundham, groaning as Gundham ducked his head down to nip at his collarbone. Souda cursed under his breath and grinded into Gundham again, his dick twitching when he felt Gundham chuckle into his skin. 

“I wanna try somethin’,” Souda murmured, his hand moving down from Gundham’s head to his shoulder.

Gundham detached from Souda’s neck and looked at him. Souda’s heart leapt at the way Gundham’s face looked then; his pupils blown out, his lips parted, and his cheeks dusted with rosy color as water dripped down his face. Gundham nodded and Souda kissed him quickly before moving his mouth down his neck and across his chest to latch his mouth to one of Gundham’s nipples. He stroked Gundham slowly as he swirled the ball of his tongue piercing around the bar though Gundham’s nipple, making him breathe raggedly.

Then, Souda got on his knees, his hand wrapped around Gundham’s dick. “Now, I know y’know that I’ve never done this before… so you can just go around expectin’ it to be perfect, ‘kay?”

Gundham smiled down at him, “I am not a man prone to expectation. Might I grant you a word of advice?”

Souda nodded. Gundham reached down and hooked his thumb in the corner of Souda’s mouth to reveal his sharp teeth. 

“Mind these.”

Souda rolled his eyes and darted his tongue across the pad of Gundham’s thumb with a smirk. Gundham chuckled and removed it so he could stroke his cheekbone. Souda took a breath and decided to start small by just stroking back his foreskin to reveal the head, pressing his lips to it. He then moved down to the base and dragged his tongue up to the head. Gundham’s hand moved to the top of Souda’s head as he leaned against the wall. 

Souda had never felt so aware of his teeth before as he gingerly opened his mouth and wrapped his lips around the shaft. He was scared on Gundham’s behalf; it was a bold decision to put your dick directly in harm’s way. Souda looked up at Gundham and saw his face, calm and serene. He decided to just focus on not fucking up and slowly bobbed his head up and down. He wondered how people got  _ really _ good at this sort of thing when it seemed like there was almost too much to keep track of. But then again, he supposed that there weren’t many people in the world who had to worry about keeping their shark teeth from lacerating their partners. 

_ I should read a blog about it _ , he thought to himself as he started to gain some rhythm, stroking the part of Gundham which he couldn’t yet get all the way into his mouth. Then, something very promising happened: Gundham let out a soft moan as Souda applied extra suction to the head of his cock. Souda felt rather self-satisfied by that and decided to get a little more daring. He lavished his tongue over the slit, making Gundham lace his fingers into Souda’s hair. Souda reached up, placing one hand on his hip and the other on his ass as he tried to take more of him into his mouth. 

Gundham began to push gently on the back of Souda’s head, goading him to go further. Souda dropped his jaw as Gundham pushed further into his mouth, holding his head in place. His gag reflex suddenly protested, making Gundham moan as Souda came off of his dick. He wiped his mouth of the spit trail and smiled sheepishly up at Gundham. Gundham crouched down and cupped Souda’s jaw as Souda stood back up.

He kissed Souda hard before resting their foreheads together, “You have a natural propensity for fallacial technique — there is promise in your method.”

Souda chuckled, “Man, dirty talk just isn’t yer thing.”

Gundham kissed him again before he reached out and turned the shower off, “Let us transform to a less saturated state.” 

The two of them toweled off before Souda grabbed Gundham by the face and kissed him as he walked backward into the room. He bumped into a couple of things along the way, making Gundham laugh. Souda pulled Gundham on top of him once they reached the bed. He moved one of his hands down and wrapped it around both him and Gundham the best he could manage. Souda moaned into his mouth as Gundham wrapped Souda’s legs around him, hands under his knees. He threw his other arm around Gundham’s shoulders, heat pooling in his groin as Gundham moved his lips down to suck hickies into his skin. Gundham spread Souda’s legs further and shifted so his cock was resting against Souda’s ass. He stroked Souda as he ground into him.

“Oh  _ shit _ , babe,” Souda cursed as a wave of pleasure ran through him when Gundham’s cock grazed his hole.

Gundham moaned scratchy into his skin, hand squeezing Souda gently.

“M-Might I also extend a request to, erm, explore new territory?” Gundham asked raspily in Souda’s ear.

Souda shivered, moving his hips up to meet Gundham’s hand, “Ah — whaddya wanna do?”

Gundham sighed as though the question were a small torture. He pressed a kiss to Souda’s cheek and sat back on his heels. He took his hand off of Souda, which earned a whine of protest. Souda pouted, resting his hands off Gundham’s chest. Gundham reached over Souda’s head and rifled through the drawer of his small bedside table before producing a black plastic bottle. Gundham handed it to him; Souda turned it over to see that it was something which shouldn’t have surprised him as much as it did. It was lube. Souda blinked at the bottle, then looked at Gundham. 

For the first time, Gundham seemed almost embarrassed. For someone who was so unabashed about pretty much everything, seeing it on his face that Gundham was worried about how Souda would respond was a kind of jarring sight.

“Allow me to start by reassuring you that I intend to approach this situation with a gradual progression. I intend to make no such action which will cause you any sort of discomfort or pain, be it physically, emotionally, or otherwise. These sorts of things take patience and I am willing to —

“You wanna put your fingers in my ass?” Souda interrupted, trying not to laugh.

Gundham went red and looked away from him.

“If that is how you wish to put it…” Gundham mumbled.

Souda snickered and looked at the bottle again. Not that he’d thought about it much, but when he did it was more along the lines of him doing things to Gundham. He definitely wasn’t opposed, though. He handed the bottle over to Gundham and laced his fingers behind his head. Gundham smiled at him and leaned down to press a slow, sweet kiss to his lips. Souda reached down and touched himself as Gundham licked into his mouth. Gundham moved so that he was kneeling next to Souda. Souda kept his legs spread, watching as Gundham pulled back and uncapped the bottle.

He dispensed a good amount of lube onto his hand and swiped it over Souda’s hole. Souda shivered.

“Shit, man, that’s cold!” he complained.

Gundham leaned over and pressed soft kisses to his throat as he teased him with the tip of his pointer finger, “I apologize, my paramour.”

Souda bit his lip as Gundham pushed the finger in up to the knuckle. It wasn’t unpleasant or hurtful, just strange and intrusive. Gundham worked at a comfortable pace, applying more lube as needed until his finger was fully inside Souda. Slowly, Gundham moved the finger in and out of him, sometimes applying a curling motion.

“Are you ready for another?” Gundham asked, speaking plainly as he sometimes did when having sex. 

Souda nodded, sighing as Souda removed his finger to apply yet more lube to both his middle and index fingers. Gundham had to move slower, as Souda sometimes needed him to stop so he could adjust. Eventually, though, Gundham had two fingers fully inside of Souda, who was breathing in deep, shuttered breaths. 

“Please move,” Souda whispered, moving his other hand so he could clutch Gundham’s muscular arm.

Gundham curled his fingers then, striking something inside of Souda which sent a shockwave up his spine. He moaned hard, squirming as Gundham moved his fingers in and out of him.

“K-Keep doin’ that,” Souda panted, stroking himself faster.

Gundham moved closer to Souda, his cock resting on Souda’s hip. He moved his fingers deliberately, nipping and sucking at Souda’s neck as he tightened the hand in Souda’s hair and shallowly rocked his hips against Souda. Souda moaned hard into the air, arching his back into his hand.

“Faster, Gundham — oh,  _ fuck,  _ please go faster,” he whined, spreading his legs further.

Gundham complied, panting into Souda’s skin, “Come for me, Kazuichi.”

With that, Souda was finished. He came hard onto his own hand and stomach, moaning out a jumbled string of curses punctuated by Gundham’s name. Gundham smiled and pressed soft kisses to his neck, slowly removing his fingers as Souda tried to catch his breath. 

“Quite good at doing as you are instructed, aren’t you?” Gundham murmured, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips.

Gundham went to stand up, but Souda caught him by the wrist.

“Huh-uh, what about you?” he protested.

Gundham shook his head, “Do not worry yourself with such matters.”

But Souda tugged his wrist. Gundham rolled his eyes and leaned down to kiss Souda. Souda kissed him back deeply, rolling their tongues together.

“C’mere,” he murmured into his lips.

“I  _ am  _ here.”

Souda made a small grunt of frustration and parted from Gundham. He grabbed one of Gundham’s knees and pulled it over him so that he was straddling Souda’s chest. Then, Souda put his hands on his hips and pulled Gundham to scoot forward. Souda wrapped one of his hands around Gundham’s shaft and guided him into his mouth while the other cupped his ass. Gundham sighed and leaned over, lacing his fingers in Souda’s hair as he applied some suction. He rocked his hips shallowly, which Souda did his best to take his stride but still sometimes gagged around. It wasn’t long before Gundham’s low groaning turned into a slightly higher-pitched series of broken moans.

“H-Hang on, allow me t-to,” Gundham stuttered, moving himself out of Souda’s mouth.

Souda cleared his throat, looking up at Gundham as he sat back on his chest jerking himself off fervently. Gundham shut his eyes, breathing hard until his jaw went slack and he came on Souda’s mouth and chin with a raspy cry. 

Gundham didn’t waste much time catching his breath and carefully got off of Souda to go grab one of the towels they had been using earlier. Souda stood up as well and took the towel from his hand. He wiped his lips before speaking.

“I’m just gonna wash this off,” he said with a smile.

Gundham nodded, following him into the bathroom so he could wash his hands as Souda quickly rinsed his body. Souda got dry once more and picked up his clothes from the bathroom floor to bring into the bedroom. 

“Can I still borrow somethin’?” Souda asked.

“Ah, yes, I have forgotten to supply you with clothing in which to nocturnally hallucinate in,” he said, walking over to one of his dressers.

He tossed Souda a long, oversized, grey t-shirt which was stretched at the neck. Souda chuckled as he caught it.

“Just the shirt?” he teased.

Gundham smirked, “I apologize for my lack of accommodation in this sphere — as you know, I customarily sleep in the nude.”

Souda put the shirt on, balking at the way it landed at the very tops of his thighs. Gundham smiled at him, endeared by the sight. He wrapped his arms around Souda’s middle and picked him up off of the floor, making him laugh.

“C’mon, I could pick  _ you  _ up! Lemme try!” Souda laughed, squirming in his grasp as Gundham carried him to bed. 

Gundham tossed him down and lied next to him. They both smiled at one another and Souda felt the same butterflies as always. He reached up and cupped Gundham’s cheek.

“That was good,” he whispered.

Gundham nodded, reaching up and stroking Souda’s wrist with his thumb, “Thank you for being a willing participant.”

Souda chuckled and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. He stroked Gundham’s cheek with the pad of his thumb, sometimes rubbing over the scar which seemed to go through his grey eye.

“How’d ya get this anyway?” Souda inquired.

Gundham smiled a bit wistfully, “When I was merely toddling, my father made the decision to branch out the parameters of clientele for the shop. One day, he was given an animal of the ursine persuasion: a black bear cub.”

Souda’s eyes went wide, “Wait what?!”

Gundham chuckled, “Yes, it was a rather reckless decision on his part. When the cub was slated to return to its homeland, my father desired a photographic capture of myself and the bear on its hind legs. In trying to get the bear to stand, my father agitated its beasial spirit and carnal tendency. It swiped at me, leaving this scar.”

“Wow, that could’a taken yer eye out!” Souda gasped.

“Yes, but the will of causality did not permit such an event,” Gundham said as though it were an explanation. 

Souda leaned forward and kissed the scar, “Well I like it. I’m sorry when I made fun of it when I was a kid — I secretly thought you looked cool.”

“Yes well, that is a wonderful coincidence. I found you to be somewhat ‘cool’ as well.”

Souda rolled his eyes and laughed, “Oh my god, dude, yer such a dork!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it’s so nice to move forward into some more plot-heavy stuff! things are developiiiiing c: thank you all so very much for supporting this work, you guys give me so much joy <3333


	5. Shimmy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a warning that there’s some drug use in this chapter, specifically psychedelics in the form of pills and some pot smoking.

Souda leaned against the doorframe of his bathroom, watching as Gundham applied and smudged a stick of black eyeliner around his eyes as Sonia fixed her hair next to him in the mirror. He fiddled with the hem of the long-sleeved shirt he’d layered under his ultra-exclusive Remnants of Despair t-shirt which displayed the cover art for their single “Kiibo the Killer Robot.” It featured a cartoon-y illustration of Kiibo standing atop a large rock with a raging storm behind him, two severed heads in his hands. When Souda noticed that one head had pink hair while the other had blonde, it turned his stomach. After a few weeks of Miu insisting it wasn’t that bad and that it was especially made for him, Souda finally took it off of her hands. Now that he was wearing the shirt, he found it pretty cool.

“Thank you for being so patient,” Sonia said, teeth bared down on a bobby-pin.

She was wearing a dark green school jacket which was cropped to her waist and a matching skirt of the same shade. Her white thigh-high socks were made of a thick material which did enough to keep her warm. Beside her, Gundham wore a pair of tight pleather pants and an ornate harness studded with long, sharp spikes which strapped around his neck, shoulders, and across his chest. As much as Souda appreciated being able to ogle at his chest and abs all night, he considered the fact that it was also late October.

“Yer not gonna be cold, Gundham?”

Gundham chuckled lowly as he smudged with his middle finger and talked to Souda’s reflection in the mirror, “I find your mortal concerns rather endearing and for that I will forgive your momentary lapse in recollection. My blood is cold — a symptom of the demonic, underworldly heritage from which my origins are rooted. Additionally, the years I have dedicated toward mastering the ways in which my senses respond to stimuli as well as several blessings from polar bear spirits has gifted me with a distinctive ability to regulate bodily temperature.”

Sonia sprayed the two buns she had put her hair up into with hairspray, “Plus, we will be drinking!”

Souda smirked at that. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket and pulled it out to see a text from Miu.

[From: Baby Mama Miu: Ur tickets are at the box office, Kaede got u guys vip and backstage passes too. Come backstage when ur done hanging out in the crowd.]

“Hell yeah, Kaede hooked us up!” Souda said, relaying the good news.

Tonight was a very exciting night for the Remnants of Despair and their supporters. Their first album was gaining quick popularity, achieving over 50,000 copies sold and downloaded due to a few of their songs being featured on a popular short-form video app. Thousands of people were exposed to their music worldwide, which resulted in a proper management team and agency picking them up and arranging a nationwide tour. The first show of twenty was going to be in Towa City at the largest venue in town — the Dome. It was a multi-purpose arena which usually hosted sporting events and concerts, as well as the ultimate symbol of success for the band.

Soon enough they laced up their shoes and walked down the street to the train station. As they made their way, Sonia walked backwards and looked at Souda striding alongside Gundham.

“Kazuichi, I do not wish to offend by asking this, but have you ever washed those pants?” she asked, pointing at his somewhat thrashed, dingy pair of ripped and patched jeans.

Souda shrugged, “Can’t really wash ‘em like regular pants, Sonia, it’ll ruin the patches. Besides, I only ever wear ‘em on special occasions.”

“Well, by that logic, would it not make sense to wash them at least once?”

Souda paused, trying to let the suggestion process. “Agh, c’mon Sonia don’t go makin’ me think too hard about it! It’s rock tradition anyway, ask anyone!”

She giggled and rolled her eyes, turning to walk up the stairs to the train platform. Once the three of them got on and took their seats, Souda became very much aware of the looks and stares being casted in their direction. A woman pulled her two kids closer to her sides, despite the fact that they were equally as enthralled with their phones as Gundham and Sonia and paying just about as much attention. Souda looked away and caught the eyes of a man who was frowning openly at him.

Souda’s ever-present anxiety tended to step aside when petulant, defiant anger bubbled up within him. He stared back at the man, feeling his hands shake as the man’s stare didn’t waver. As Gundham scrolled through his phone, he reached over and took Souda’s hand. Souda intertwined their fingers without breaking the glare with the other man. The man narrowed his eyes and scoffed with disgust before looking away. Tingling warmth rushed through Souda as he filled with frustration and indignation, but he just sat back and leaned against the seat. He squeezed Gundham’s hand. Gundham rested his head on his shoulder. A few people squirmed. Souda was on fire.

The stop near the Dome was the sixth one into the middle of downtown where the majority of people got off anyway. As they walked out of the train, Souda made sure to shoulder-check the guy who had been glaring at him as he walked by. The man paused and glared at him, but continued to walk in the opposite direction. Gundham looked down at Souda as they walked out of the station.

“Am I mistaken, or were you just engaged in a silent alteracation with another individual inside of that locomotive?” Gundham asked.

Souda chuckled and shrugged, “Eh, it was nothin’.”

They walked hand-in-hand down the block to the Dome where there were already lines of punks waiting in line to get into the venue. Souda led the way to the empty will-call window.

“Hey, uh I should have some tickets waiting for me ‘n my friends,” Souda said to the person in the booth.

“Name?”

“Er, Kazuichi Souda?”

They tapped away at their computer before turning to a special printer behind them and procuring three tickets. The person stood up and grabbed three versions of two different sets of lanyards. 

“Just take the tickets to the front and make sure you all keep these around your necks if you want to get down to the floor or backstage. Thanks for coming!”

The three of them stepped away from the booth and Souda passed out the various items. The security check nearest to them was rather short, so getting into the venue was a painless process. They stopped by the bar inside of the building and downed a couple of shots each before buying a drink to bring down to the pit. As they knocked a few back, Souda admired the way that Gundham bit down on his lip to bare with the sharpness of the liquor. 

Souda took Gundham’s hand, “Hold on t’Sonia.”

Gundham did so and followed as Souda led the way down into the floor level of the arena and began to work his way as close to the front as they could get. Once they were settled, Souda looked around at the rapidly-filling auditorium and remembered the first time he’d seen Remnants of Despair play at Wauri. Their quick success seemed all the more jarring to him in that moment. There were people in band t-shirts and replica outfits which looked like Mioda’s pink and blue motif. 

“Is this not the most spectacular thing you have seen?” Sonia asked, taking a sip of her drink and looking around.

Gundham nodded, “The thrall spawned by the melodious machinations of Ibuki and her caterwauling company has truly hypnotized thousands.”

The two of them gabbed about how the vibrations in music were akin to spells in and of themselves and their favorite songs off of the new album, but Souda only half-listened. He noticed that, as people brushed by, they clearly checked both Sonia and Gundham out. Their eyes would land on her, then travel up to Gundham. A few ladies giggled to each other and guys with spiky hairstyles gawked shamelessly. How did they manage to go without noticing all of the eyes on them? Were they just used to it, or was it honestly unnoticeable?

A woman walked up to Gundham and touched his wrist. He looked down at her, somewhat confused. She smiled at him.

“Hi— um, wow you’re tall,” she giggled nervously.

Gundham looked down at his platform shoes, then back to her. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Souda, as surprised as he was embarrassed, looked to Sonia, who was holding back laughter.

“I was wondering if I could possibly have your number? I-I’m Yumi, by the way.”

Now that she’d made clear what she wanted, Gundham’s face softened. He chuckled, which made her frown.

“My sincerest apologies, but I cannot reciprocate your extension of courtship. I understand my aspect is somewhat enticing, this is a byproduct of my demonic lineage, but I shall not bore you with minutiae. I am involved with another,” Gundham explained.

Yumi’s face looked a little pained as she listened to Gundham’s way of speaking. Once she deciphered his reasoning for declining her eyes widened and she looked to Sonia.

“Oh! I’m so sorry!”

Sonia snickered, “It is not me you should be apologizing to.”

The girl raised an eyebrow and looked over at Souda. His face was warm with his frustration. He waved at the girl sarcastically before taking a long drink from his cup. Gundham reached out jovially and wrapped his arm around Souda’s shoulders. The girl’s eyes widened with realization. She spewed out a string of apologies and rushed away. Souda narrowed his eyes. Sonia laughed and reached out to pinch his cheek.

“Down, boy!” she teased.

That forced a smile out of Souda. He downed the rest of his drink and crushed the plastic cup before putting it in his pocket. Suddenly, he felt his phone vibrate with an incoming call. It was Miu.

“Yeah?” Souda answered, plugging his other ear.

“Look up, pinky, I’m wavin’ at you!”

Souda looked up at the stage into the right wing and squinted.

“Other side, Itch.”

Souda’s eyes shifted to the left and he spotted Miu in her favored pink school uniform with leather strappings. She waved at him, jumping up and down. Souda blinked at her blurry form; he needed to get some contacts.

“Are you guys gonna hang out down there for a while?”

Souda nodded, “Yeah. Where’s the door backstage?”

“Meet me by the bar at intermission, I’ll take ya’ back.”

“Fer sure, thanks,” Souda responded.

They said their goodbyes just as the lights dimmed down for the opening act. It was a decent band made up of a pair of creepy-looking twins who played drums and guitar each. It wasn’t Souda’s style; too much electro-goth and not enough guitar rips and screaming vocals. Gundham and Sonia seemed to like it well enough, though, so he snuck off to the and got another round for the three of them in the meantime.

By the time he could make his way back in the rapidly crowding pit, the twin’s set was just about over. Sonia thanked him as he handed off the drink to her. Gundham, clearly already feeling the effects of the alcohol, leaned down and kissed his cheek as he took the cup from his hand. Souda smiled up at him and drank. He liked the envy in onlookers' eyes when Gundham showed him affection, even if he was imagining their jealousy for the most part.

As the twin’s set was dismantled and the set for the Remnants of Despair show began being assembled, the energy in the pit began to buzz. Souda excitedly shifted his weight between either foot. He crushed and stowed away their empty cups as they were handed to him. In no time, the lights fell into darkness and the entire stadium erupted into cheers and applause. It gave Souda chills. Being so close to the stage, he could see as Owari, Chabashira, and Akamatsu all took their places. People nearest to the barricade cheered for them, but they didn’t acknowledge it. Souda suddenly felt very cool to know these people personally. 

In the dark, Owari began to pluck a rhythmic bass line. The arena roared once more. Mioda’s distinctive giggle could be heard just as Chabashira joined in with the drums. Akamatsu struck a sustained chord. Sonia cheered loudly, pushing to stand in front of Souda.

“Let’s play a game,” Mioda’s disembodied voice said to the crowd, “‘Ibuki says.’”

The crowd whooped and hollered. The band sustained their round.

“Okaaay, clap your hands. Ah! I didn’t say Ibuki says! Those of you who clapped lose. The rest of you… Ibuki says — make some room.”

Certain sectors of the crowd opened up so that there were large, empty circles. Gundham looked at the nearest one warily. Souda smirked.

“You guys should get in with me,” he suggested.

Sonia looked up at Gundham, who appeared somewhat hesitant. 

“Well, I am willing,” Sonia said with a shrug.

Gundham thought about, clearly conflicted about leaving the two of them alone to brave the fray alone. He sighed.

“I suppose I will partake in the act of senseless aggression.”

Souda clapped, “That’s the spirit.”

Mioda spoke up again, “Ibuki says — RIP EACH OTHER’S FUCKING HEADS OFF!”

Suddenly, the lights came up as Mioda leapt down off of a platform just above Chabashira head with a wailing note. The band played directly into a song about wanting to rip someone’s heart out as a display of affection. Sonia pushed passed the boys directly into the circulating pit of shoving, kicking, skanking, elbowing, and rushing. Souda hopped in after her, flailing and kicking as he went. Nervous about the endeavor, Gundham mostly just tried to keep up with the speed as the song played through into the next. 

Souda shoved someone across the pit, which got the same thing done to him. As he swung his arms, he felt his fists connect with studs of someone’s vest. His hand suddenly felt warm and wet, but he kept going, He looked around and saw Sonia smiling and maneuvering gracefully. Gundham, catching the hint that the people who shoved him with their shoulders wanted to be shoved back, did the very thing. Souda bit his lip, watching as another man about the same height took Gundham on by jumping at him full force with his shoulder.

Gundham looked stunned initially, but then smiled widely. He laughed his deep, theatrical laugh and elbowed the man in his ribs, sending him careening backwards. Souda wished to see more, but then the bony angle of some one’s skinny elbow connected with his mouth. The song ended and Souda stumbled out of the circle to the edges. As he touched his fingers to his lip, his chin was pulled into someone else’s grasp. His pink eyes came to lock with Gundham’s mis-matched ones. Even in the hysteria and intensity of a rock show, Souda’s world still slowed down when Gundham looked into his eyes. 

“The rubious plasma of your mortality has seeped from your lips,” Gundham pointed out, wiping some of the dribble away with the pad of his thumb.

Souda shrugged, buzzed static numbing the pain of his busted lip. He smirked and took Gundham’s face into his hands before leaning forward and planting a bloody kiss on his lips. Gundham chuckled, resting their foreheads together as they parted. Then there was a hand on Souda’s shoulder.

“You are bleeding!” Sonia laughed breathlessly as she made her way out of the pit to them. 

Souda let go of Gundham and wiped his mouth. He clapped Sonia on the shoulder.

“Not a mark on ya’! Sonia y’can’t just go showin’ off all the time,” he teased.

Sonia laughed and rolled her eyes. On stage, the Remnants were performing better than ever. Everyone’s costumes looked impeccable and their playing was on point. Mioda strutted down the catwalk of the stage and people rushed to crowd it. She started in on a guitar solo and leaned forward into the crowd, letting people touch the body of it.

Sonia smiled, “Wow, her voice has become so much more powerful! I did not even think that was possible!”

Souda threw his hair around in agreement, his entire body electric with energy. No wonder Gundham decided not to wear a shirt, the accumulating heat of everyone’s bodies was becoming almost stifling. Once the throbbing in his lip had faded to a tolerable level of pain, Souda ran back into the fray to mosh to one of his favorite songs by the band. 

Soon enough, about 45 minutes had passed and the band played themselves off into intermission. A timer for twenty minutes counted down on the jumbo screens and the lights lifted. People began to shuffle out of the arena and back into the lobby to get refreshments and find a bathroom. Souda jogged up to Gundham and Sonia.

“Miu says to meet ‘er by the bar. You guys ready?” Souda asked.

They both nodded and followed Souda out to the nearest exit. When they walked into the lobby and made their way to the bar, Souda spotted Miu peeking out of a backstage door. Her scanning glance found him and she waved him over. The three of them approached and were sized up by a bodyguard standing by the door. Souda gulped. Miu tapped his shoulder.

“They’re with me,” she reasoned.

He nodded and stepped aside. Souda sighed with relief and lead the way. Miu hugged Sonia immediately and complimented her new outfit. She looked at Souda and laughed.

“Bust your lip in the glory hole?” Miu teased.

Souda touched his lip as though her bringing it up reminded him of it’s existence. Miu snickered and turned to look at Gundham. She paused and took a step back as though she needed a better vantage point to see all of him.

“Damn, Dum-Dum, look at those abs,” she admired, reaching out and brushing her hand across them, “You make a habit of bench-pressing Kazuichi?”

Gundham chuckled, “I am appreciative of your admiration toward my vessel, no matter how vain the praise. While your observation is most astute and humorous, I do not make a habit of commodifying my companion for the sake of engorging my muscular system. Though, if I am to be frank, our shared time is occasionally akin to such conditioning.”

Miu blinked at him, translating the words in his head. Then, she gasped with a wicked grin on her face.

“Gundham! Did you just make a sex joke?” she asked as though she wasn’t sure he even knew.

Souda was surprised, “That’s what that was?”

He rolled his eyes and put his arm around Souda’s shoulders, “Do continue in your escort, Miu.”

Miu winked at him, “Escort, huh? I like the sound of that, much more dignified than just hooker. Show’s you’re willin’ to pay big time!”

Sonia laughed and hit her arm in playful admonishment. Miu laughed as well and locked her arm with Sonia’s, leading the way around to wherever the band was staying. Souda was surprised at how plain everything looked. There were stacked chairs or tables in any hallway that was long enough to hold them while also clearing a pathway. People in all black clothing wearing headsets speed-walked around not looking the least bit star-struck. 

Miu stopped and opened a door into an empty dressing room with a television set that was streaming the concert and a few tables of finger foods. Souda walked over to the dessert table without even thinking about it.

“Where are the ladies?” Sonia asked.

Miu reached into an icy bucket and procured four bottles of beer which she dispersed to each of them.

“They’re a few rooms down. Can’t bother ‘em, it screws with their mojo — we’ll see ‘em afterwards, though.”

Souda popped the top of his own bottle, handed it to Gundham and took the one he was holding, took the top off that one and handed it to Sonia before doing the same to her bottle to give to Miu. After finally getting his own open beer, the four of them all drank in unison 

“So how’s the crowd?”

Sonia smiled wistfully, “Oh, they love it! I cannot believe how far they have come.”

Miu smiled, “You’re tellin’ me! Imagine what it’s like having a kinda-famous girlfriend! Man, we’re gonna be fuckin’ rich.”

Souda smirked, working on his handful of chocolate candies, “Yeah, all of ‘em seem in the zone tonight. Is this what they’ve been workin’ on while we’ve been doin’ Kiibo stuff?”

Miu nodded, taking another swig, “Yeah! Weird to think other people have lives outside of that garage, huh?”

Souda took a drink as well, “Feels good ta’ get out, though. Can’t say I wouldn’t like to go around gettin’ drunk on free booze backstage of a rock show more often.”

“Yeah, you’ll have to forgive me if I tag along on a few more tours,” Miu chuckled.

“As long as you take me!”

The mechanic and engineer clinked their bottled jovially and drank down the rest of the beer. Miu looked at the timer ticking away on the screen and marched over to Gundham, tipping the bottom of his bottle into the sky and forcing him to drink more.

“You’ve got five minutes to drink another one!” she coached before burping into her elbow.

Souda chugged in unison. Gundham tried not to laugh and spill the rest of the beer. He sighed hard as he took the last gulp. Sonia breathed hard and handed her bottle off to Miu, who was grinning triumphantly. She put the empty bottles on the counter before grabbing and opening up another round, which all of them silently went into a competition of drinking faster.

Souda was first and let out a burp that should have embarrassed him if he weren’t thoroughly buzzed. Sonia was next, but only because of the fact that her laughter made her stop halfway and set down the frothy bottle. Miu was next and immediately launched into a defense about how Sonia’s second place position didn’t count. Gundham, who had never chugged beer a day in his life, had to finish in five or six long drinks.

Miu whooped and clapped her hands as a red light on the wall blinked on and off, “That means they’ve taken their places! Come with me.”

Miu grabbed Sonia’s hand and ran out the door with her. Souda laughed and pulled Gundham along in much the same fashion, chasing Miu down the hallway. They dodged irritated stage-hands and roadies as they carried used set pieces back out to the buses. Suddenly, the end hallway came into view: a propped open door which led to the darkness of backstage. 

Miu slowed down and led the way into the right wing just as the lights came up. The audience roared as Ibuki started in with a shredding guitar lick. Who would have thought that the sound would be quieter behind the monitors? It was easier to pick apart the individual performances of each musician. From where they were standing, Souda could see how the women were drenched in sweat and their makeup smeared. 

Sonia and Miu danced together, jumping and headbanging to their heart's content. Souda just nodded his head and tapped his feet, not feeling like going too hard in the backstage area. Then, Gundham’s strong arms slid around him as he rested his chin on Souda’s shoulder.

“Hi,” Souda said, turning his head to look at Gundham, “Havin’ fun?”

Gundham nodded, looking at Souda fondly. It came again, the butterflies Souda always felt when Gundham’s expression got all soft and adoring as it was then. He reached up and gently caressed Gundham’s cheek before pressing a kiss to his lips. Then, Souda was shuffled to the side by a stagehand carrying a stool and acoustic guitar. 

On stage, Akamatsu, Chabashira, and Owari all exited stage left as the stage hand assisted Mioda.

“We’re gonna slow it down now! Ibuki’s gotta give the ladies a second to breathe. Thank you all for showing up tonight — here’s to a kickass tour!”

The crowd cheered in response. Mioda sat down on the stool and propped the acoustic guitar on her crossed leg. The first chords were instantly recognizable to Souda and the same obviously went for Miu, as she turned and grinned widely at him. Mioda was singing the song she’d written for Souda on his birthday: “Kiibo the Killer Robot.”

Not only was the song sweet and jaunty, but it also showcased how beautiful Mioda’s voice really was. A lot of her raw talent was often put into rough, gritty music, so the acoustic jam was a nice change in pace. The audience held up their lighters and cell phone flashlights as a show of appreciation. Miu turned to Souda and held out her hand grandly. Souda laughed as Gundham let him go and nudged him forward. He put his hand in Miu’s and she put a hand on his waist.

“C’mon, I can’t even lead?!” Souda protested and Miu swayed with him.

“If you could, you would,” Miu teased, spinning them in a circle. 

Souda shrugged, not willing to contest the claim. As the narrative rose to the climax of Kiibo holding the knife to his father’s neck while his mother begged for mercy, Miu smirked.

“I’m gonna dip you.”

“Miu, I’m cool with ya’ leading the dance but ya’ can’t just go around dippin’ me like a girl.”

“I resent that, Kazuichi. This isn’t to emasculate you— if I wanted to do that, I would just put you in a skirt and lipstick and parade you around town, holding you by your pigtails.”

Souda rolled his eyes at the image; Miu continued.

“Nah, I wanna dip you because I can. Hold onto my shoulders and don’t resist it or I’m gonna drop you.”

“What? Wait, nononono—

But Miu moved her hand up to the base of Souda’s neck and dipped him low to the ground as Mioda played her final note. Souda, having no other choice but to participate in the dance move, held onto Miu and kept his weight up with his legs. The crowd cheered and Mioda thanked them. Gundham and Sonia both clapped, looking both amused and impressed. A roadie walked by and chuckled under his breath shaking his head. Souda scrambled to stand up and straightened out his shirt.

“Jeez, Miu, d’ya  _ have _ to embarass me anytime you get the chance?” Souda grumbled.

Miu laughed and wrapped her arm around his shoulder, “Of course! I wake up every morning and wonder — how can I embarrass him today?”

“You are a natural, Kazuichi! That was very graceful,” Sonia teased.

Souda groaned, “C’mon, not you too!”

The four of them jammed for the remainder of the concert until the concert ended with a song that featured heavy audience participation in the chorus. Just before things were definitely about to end, the energy backstage went from focused and cool to busy and chaotic. As the final note played and the crowd erupted, flashlights came on all around backstage as people began striking amps and set pieces. Miu took Sonia’s hand.

“Follow me!” she said, rushing back out into the hallway area. 

The boys scurried after them, dodging roadies who were in an equal hurry. As they rounded the corner into the empty hallway of dressing rooms, the members of Remnants of Despair also ran around the corner of the other end. Both quartets paused, panting. Then the girls all squealed with excitement and bridged the gap. 

Miu lifted Akamatsu off of the floor and spun her in circles as Sonia hugged and congratulated Chabashira and Owari. Mioda hugged Gundham and Souda at the same time. Souda laughed, the force of the embrace almost knocking the wind out of him. He patted her sweaty back. 

“Hey, Ibuki. Man, that show was sick as hell,” Souda complimented, having to look up at her in her huge platform boots.

“I concur,” Gundham added as she pulled away, “The emotional ferocity which occurs as symptom of your vocal cabal is most effective in its purpose.”

Mioda blinked at him, “I’m gonna take that as a compliment — thanks Gundham! Ooh, Ibuki’s real glad that you guys made it out tonight, we’re gonna  _ rage _ ,” she said, taking their hands.

Owari walked over and rested her elbow on Mioda’s shoulder.

“Hope you two carbed up before this, we’re going till the morning,” she reached out and punched Souda in the arm, “You ready, bro?”

Souda rubbed what he was sure was going to be a bruise, “Ah! Y-Yeah, Akane, I’ve got it in me.”

She smiled with approval and gave Gundham the same sock in the arm, which he didn’t even react to.

“Take this as your one warning — a demon’s blood is not if mortal viscosity. The liver is much more efficient.”

Owari smirked, “Well, we’re gonna put that to the test, huh Buki?”

Mioda nodded with agreement, “Wait for us out here! We’re gonna get cleaned up and changed before we head out.”

The band mates filed into the dressing room to get changed. Being that they were also cleaning off their eccentric makeup and rinsing off in a tiny shower in the bathroom, it took a little while before each of them were ready. While it wasn’t their costumes, their outfit changes didn’t disappoint. Mioda was the first one out wearing a pair of low-rise, black pants and a cropped pink shirt with long sleeves and a devil print in the middle. Chabashira was after her and wore a pair of loose, green pants and a black, sleeveless high-necked shirt.

Owari was next and had dressed down into black jeans, a white shirt, and a leather jacket. Last was Akamatsu, who had clearly been working longest on her new look. She was wearing a lilac skirt with a matching beret in her hair as well as a shirt which seemed to match Mioda’s except in white and with an angel print. Sonia insisted upon taking pictures for the band’s social media.

“You are all so  _ cool _ !” Sonia gushed, snapping pictures and the ladies posed, “Are they not just the coolest, Miu?”

Miu shrugged, “I think I’m cooler but they’re alright.”

That made the girls laugh, which ended up supplying them with the best picture of the shoot. 

“Alright, alright, no more pictures! I’m starving,” she whined.

Akamatsu laced her arms with Miu on her right and Sonia on her left, “Lead the way then, Akane.”

Owari smirked and walked ahead of the group. Souda laced his fingers with Gundham’s and followed behind the girls. They all gushed about the success of the evening; how electric everything felt. Souda couldn’t quite believe that he was really a part of the inner-circle of a semi-famous band. 

As they approached a set of double doors, Owari was stopped momentarily by a large man guarding the exit. He said something into his headset and then pointed at Gundham, Souda, Miu, and Sonia.

“Car’s waiting. You four go first.”

He opened the door and gestured the four of them into the chill of the evening. Souda walked first with Sonia and Gundham behind him. There were railings keeping back two crowds of fans on either side, making a pathway straight into the open doors of a stretch limousine. They all climbed in hastily only to be greeted by that site of Saihara in black eye makeup and lipstick wearing a tiny mesh shirt and tight black jeans. He was under the arm of none other than Rantaro Amami, Aoi’s coworker at the gym. Amami was in a pair of dark, distressed jeans, a Remnants shirt, and a denim jacket. They had been talking to a short, eclectically dressed red-head wearing numerous silver accessories, a long black dress with flowing sleeves, and even a pointed hat. 

They seemed to be having a nice conversation, which stopped as they looked to get their new passengers. Saihara’s smile faltered as Sonia entered the limo; he seemed embarrassed about being so dressed up in front of a school colleague.

“Rantaro? Shuichi? You two know one another?” Sonia asked.

Saihara seemed surprised that she knew Amami, but it also made him more relaxed at the same time. He tucked a lock of blue-black hair behind his ear. Amami shrugged.

“We’ve been going out. It’s good to see you guys, did you watch the show?” They all nodded. Amami looked at Souda and Gundham’s clasped hands, “Ah, I see you guys worked out that tension, huh?”

Souda chuckled and looked over as the band members escaped the swarm of fans and admirers alike. Chabashira climbed to the end nearest to the partition where the redhead was sitting. She sat next to the girl and pulled her into her lap before planting a big kiss on her forehead. Akamatsu hurried to sit between Saihara and Miu, opposite of Chabashira and her partner. Owari sat next to Chabashira, and Mioda sat right next to Gundham on the rear bench of the limo nearest to the doors. 

The limo driver must have already had the location, as they pulled away from the curb without asking for a destination. Akamatsu reached around in the mini bar behind her and produced a large bottle of bubbly wine. Owari procured a set of plastic wine flutes out of thin air, seemingly, and passed them out as Akamatsu poured them

“Thanks,” Chabashira said as hers was handed to her, “Oh, and guys, this is my girlfriend, Himiko Yumeno.”

The trio who had yet to meet her said their hellos; she waved back, looking sleepy. Once everyone had received their plastic flutes, Akamatsu held up her own to lead the toast.

“To our first show on our first tour. I love you girls! Kanpai!”

They all echoed her and took long drinks of the wine. Saihara touched up the line of his lipstick with a finger after he set his flute down. Sonia turned to the trio who had already been occupying the limo.

“We did not see the three of you backstage! Were you able to see the show?”

Saihara nodded, “Yeah, we watched the first half from backstage, but Himiko doesn’t really like super chaotic atmospheres like that and, honestly it makes me a little nervous too. Rantaro had the idea to go to the limo.”

Amami smiled, “Just an excuse to party with the mini bar.”

That made Yumeno and Saihara laugh. Mioda’s attention was piqued by the conversation.

“Speaking of  _ partying _ — Amami~?” she inquired hopefully.

Rantaro chuckled and coolly dipped his hand into the breast pocket of his jacket to procure two joints. Chabashira and Owari both clapped. Souda and Gundham looked at each other and smirked. Mioda, however, seemed like she was waiting for something else. Saihara laughed as though he had been keeping in a big joke and pulled a small tin out of his pocket. He opened it and showed Mioda the contents: five colorful little pills that almost looked like kids vitamins. She clapped her hands giddily and reached for one, but Saihara shut the tin before she could get one. Mioda stuck out her lower lip.

“Sorry, Ibuki, gotta save ‘em for the club.”

Souda had so many questions all at once. Those were drugs, right? What were they? Did you just swallow them? Why was Saihara cool with holding onto illicit drugs but not with crowds? Where did Amami get the stuff? 

The limo ride was somewhat lengthy, but everyone talking about the concert and future shows helped it all go by rather quickly. The driver pulled up to the curb of a lively dance club. There were colorful, unique and artistic neon sculptures along the outside of the building; a large blue eye, a red set of lips, a white bottle, and a pink heart. There was no sign indicating the name of the place, just a large tube protruding from beside the entrance which lit up with a rainbow gradient. Muffled dance music could be heard even with the windows up.

The driver opened the door for each of them to get out. As they filed out, people waiting in line at the club stared with curiosity as a bunch of people in outlandish clothes and make up spilled onto the sidewalk. These stares were not the shocked and confused sort one would expect, but were instead admiring of their aesthetics.

Mioda led their large party of eleven straight up to the bouncer. People near to the front of the line looked somewhat irritated. The bouncer raised his eyebrow and looked down at his clipboard.

“Name?”

Mioda gave the bouncer a helping of jazz hands, “Ibuki Mioda!”

He snorted, amused with her little display, and looked back down at the clipboard. He nodded as he pulled the velvet rope aside. The people at the front of the line groaned with frustration as the party poured into the club. Mioda walked between Souda and Gundham and locked arms with both of them.

The club was dark inside, but decently lit by LED tiles on the floor as well as strobing, colorful disco lights. In the middle of the club was the dance floor, made up of several irregular shaped LED tiles which fit together like puzzles. Against one wall was a long, well-stocked bar that had a similar rainbow color gradient to the one on the sign outside. Against the other wall was a small set of stairs leading up to a few exclusive VIP booths. The most notable thing, however, was that the inside of the club had more neon sculptures on the inside, except with different subject matter. There was a delicate, purple sculpture of two neon skeletons embracing. Another was of all eight planets aligned and colored in rainbow order. Mioda began to lead the way to one of the VIP booths.

“Ibuki, what’s this place called?” Souda asked.

“It doesn’t have a name! Crazy, huh? But that doesn’t keep it from being Ibuki’s favorite gay bar around.”

Souda’s face heated. He suddenly noticed all at once how everyone on the dance floor was filled with classy, young gay people.

Mioda noticed his reaction and laughed, “Aw, don’t worry Kazuichi, they don’t bite. And if they do, you have sharper teeth anyway!”

Everyone set down anything they’d carried into the club on the table and slid into the booth. As they sat, Shuichi pulled out the tin from his pocket and handed off one little tablet each to Mioda, Amami, Yumeno — surprisingly enough, Akamatsu, and himself. The five of them counted off and swallowed the pills. Amami looked at the rest of them, smirking in the way he usually did.

“Okay, come with me.”

Those who had partaken in the pills stayed behind to wait for it to kick in with Miu’s tipsy supervision. Amami led the group out of the club and into the alleyway between it and the restaurant next to it. They walked to the furthest end of the alley, which ended against the brick wall of a building on the other side of the street. Amami took out the two joints from his pocket and looked at Souda.

“Take this,” he said, handing Souda the joint, “You three can have that one, I’ll smoke this one Tenko and Akane so it’s not so obvious what we’re doing.”

Souda took the joint, feeling strangely prideful at the fact that Amami thought he was cool or capable enough to start a little smoking circle. He nodded, determined.

“Sweet, can I borrow a lighter? Maybe a cigarette too — so we have something to blame the smoke on.”

Souda nodded, “Yeah, good idea.”

He pulled his box of cigarettes out of his pocket as well as his lighter. He took two out of the box and handed one off to Amami, which he put in his mouth alongside the joint and lit at the same time. Across the alley from them, Souda started with the joint and got it lit before lighting the cigarette. He handed the joint off to Gundham, who put it to his lips and took a deep inhale. Gundham breathed out the stream of pungent smoke coolly before passing it to Sonia. She took a sizable hit and coughed at the same time as Owari, which made them both laugh. 

Souda took another hit from the joint; it made his lungs twinge, as they were already being affected by the combusted tobacco. Nonetheless, then passed it off to Gundham once more, who was leaning against the wall next to Souda. As he passed it off to Sonia, Gundham didn’t break eye contact with Souda. He just smirked, looking pleased as punch to be right where he was. 

Sonia tapped his shoulder, clearing her throat. Souda plucked the joint from between her fingers and took yet another hit. The world felt distinctively different at that moment. He felt like every sense he had was heightened; everything sounded, looked, smelled, and felt a bit more intense — he also desperately wanted some food from that restaurant next door. The joint made one last round before being squashed and disposed of. Amami smiled at Souda and gave him a thumbs up; their trio finished at the same time. 

Amami put a hand on his head and shut his eyes for a moment, a serene grin on his face. He opened them and looked at the group.

“Oh, man, this is really starting to kick in… I’m gonna head inside, you guys coming?”

Owari threw her arm around Chabashira’s shoulders, “Yup, right behind ya’. Tenko, let’s order food when we get inside!”

Chabashira giggled with delight. Sonia skipped ahead and interlaced her arm with Chabashira’s free arm. Souda laced his fingers with Gundham’s and made his way inside.

Souda giggled uncontrollably, “Man, I feel like I’m walkin’ on the moon or somethin’.”

Gundham laughed too, “Ah yes, I believe I have been cast under the same manifestation. Goodness, walking has never been so… tricky.”

Souda busted into laughter at that comment. He held his stomach and doubled over, leaning in the doorway of the building as they entered it. Gundham snickered, stopping to enjoy the hilarity of the moment. Sonia walked back over and took both of their hands, guiding them out to the dance floor.

Mioda and Yumeno were spinning and twirling to the electronic music as though it were some sort of delicate, intricate composition. Akamatsu had her hands on Miu’s shoulders as she talked about something with a quick fervor. Miu was listening with a smile on her face, occasionally sipping from the drink in her hand. Saihara and Amami were jumping along with a larger group of people enjoying the music. All around, gay folks were dancing, hugging, kissing, and laughing. Souda felt somehow at home.

Once they were on the light-up floor, it became abundantly obvious that neither Souda nor Gundham had any sort of experience in the way of dancing. Sonia was perfectly good at it, what with the way she kept to the rhythm. But Gundham and Souda just stood, trying not to spiral into hysterical laughter at the fact that they were practically two bumps on a log. Sonia stopped dancing and put her hands on her hips.

“Are the two of you implying that you have no clue what to do?” Sonia asked.

Souda shrugged, “I guess we’re just not dancers, Sonia.”

She shook her head, “You are human, of course you can dance!”

Gundham raised a finger to take up issue with that statement, but she moved on.

“Here, I will show you,” she said, reaching out and manipulating their limbs like they were real-life dolls, “Gundham, place your hands, here. Now, Souda, on his shoulders.”

Souda found a space between spikes on Gundham’s harness to place his hands. Gundham had his hands on Souda’s hips. Sonia stood behind Souda and pushed him into Gundham.

“Get  _ close _ ! This is not a chaperoned event, you know,” Sonia teased.

Souda snickered at that statement and moved closer to Gundham. Sonia nodded in approval. Souda swished his hips off-beat once, which made Gundham laugh so hard he had to bury his face in Souda’s shoulder. Sonia laughed, skipping away with Mioda as she pulled her into their dancing group.

“Perhaps you are exceptions to the rule, boys!” she teased.

The two of them swayed together most uncharacteristically to the upbeat music that was playing. Souda dragged his thumb across Gundham’s cheekbone, smiling at him. 

“I’m a shitty dancer,” he murmured.

“For that, I can forgive. It would not be my place to boast any sort of skill in the matter.” Gundham blinked his bloodshot eyes, then laughed, “This spell casted upon us via cannabinoid interaction is most pleasurable!”

Souda laughed as well, “Jeez, how d’ya talk like that all the time babe? Must get exhausting.”

Gundham smiled good-naturedly, “Ah, at this rate my preferential speech pattern is practically second-nature.”

Souda smiled back and kissed his sharp nose as the song faded into another, “D’ya think Akane got the food yet?”

The question was rhetorical, as both of them turned away from the dance floor and climbed up into the VIP section. Owari caught sight of them and excitedly gestured them over. She’d ordered a huge plate of pan-fried noodles, four stacks of steamed buns, and, strangely enough, three pizzas; two large cheese with some kind of vibrant orange sauce swirled into it and a cheese-less pizza with basil leaves, olives, and mushrooms. Owari smiled at Gundham.

“That one’s fer you! I know you’re a salutatorian, or whatever.”

Gundham smiled at her and took a seat next to Chabashira and in front of the pizza, “Vegan.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Owari said, eating another large forkful of noodles and chasing it with a bite of the bun. She looked at Souda, who had sat next to her and began constructing a plate of food, “Tell her what you guys wanna drink.”

She was referring to the waitress who was standing nearby with a drink menu. Souda glanced at it, then looked back up at her.

“What’s the sweetest thing y’got?”

She smiled, “Hmm, the cotton candy cocktail comes to mind!”

Souda looked back to the menu, saw that there was a double-shot of vanilla vodka and was sold. 

“Yeah, I’ll take one a’ those,” he said, handing off the menu to Gundham.

The waitress wrote down the order while Gundham perused the list of drinks more closely. 

“Gin with ice, if it pleases,” Gundham said, setting the menu back on the table,

She nodded and walked away to put in their orders. The four of them, as unlikely a quartet as they were had been united by their mutual endeavor to conquer their munchies. The drinks came soon enough, just as they were finishing up their final helpings. Souda sipped on his baby blue cocktail happily, chin in his hand as he watched the lights dance on Gundham’s pretty face.

— 

A few hours and several songs later, the night was winding down to a close. Most everyone had returned to sit at the booth, except for Mioda and Akamatsu who had insisted on dancing until it was time to leave. Gundham, Sonia, and Yumeno had fallen into a deep conversation about the practical effects and applications of magic in the world, as well as their own personal connections with the force. Chabashira listened to the conversation as Owari snored softly next to her, head resting on the table. Saihara and Shuichi were giggling to each other and talking quietly, which left Miu and Souda to entertain each other.

Miu locked her phone and looked out to the thinning dance floor, “I’m glad Ibuki picked this place. Don’t have to worry about creeps and degenerates making Kaede uncomfortable.”

Souda nodded, “Yeah, it’s pretty cool. Does it really not have a name?”

She shrugged, “Not one that I’m aware of. I wonder how the limo driver got here…” Her phone buzzed with a notification, which she read quickly, “Ten minutes till our ride gets here. Akane!”

The bark of Miu’s voice made Owari’s eyes snap open. 

“Look alive, we’re leaving in ten and you’ve gotta help me get those two off the dance floor and into the car. Tenko, meet us on the curb,” she stood up, dragging Souda out with her so Owari could scoot out of the booth. She looked at him, “So you guys are gonna take the train?”

“Yeah, we’re gonna walk Sonia back to her place too.”

Miu nodded with approval, “Okay, good. And make sure those two get off okay too.”

She was referring to Saihara and Amami, who would be riding back with them. Souda took up the task and, along with the rest of the others, walked out to the curb to wait alongside the band and see them into their car. Once they were gone, the five of them remaining made their way a couple of short blocks up to the train station. 

As they walked, Shuichi and Rantaro laughed and awed over little things like bright lights in storefronts and restaurants with strange decor. The high from the joint, however, had worn off in each of them. Surely they’d be shivering if it weren’t for the liquor warming their blood.

The train arrived shortly after they got up to the platform. It was a rather empty car, as most were at three a.m. on a Sunday. In the farthest corner was a man in a business suit using his briefcase as a pillow while he slept off the night. Besides them, there were only a few pairs of people sitting sporadically around. The five of them took up the back of the car.

After a little while of sitting there, Souda noticed how the pair of people were actually couples riding home from the same club they had just been at. Something rose up in Souda’s chest; something proud and comfortable as he watched other gay people lean openly on one another, look at their phones, and hold hands. 

The city sped by quickly, blurring each light into streaks in the darkness. all of them lived a few exits out of town, so they watched as people exited the train one stop at a time. Once they’d got to Amami and Saihara’s stop, Sonia video called Amami and watched them as they walked a short block into Amami’s apartment. They both arrived without an issue and wished Sonia a goodnight.

At Sonia’s stop, the boys followed her out of the train and walked with her to her apartment. Once she was safely upstairs and inside, Gundham and Souda interlaced their fingers and made their way back to the station. As they got to the curb, Souda stopped. 

Gundham looked down at him, the around them, concerned, “Is there something amiss? Have you gleaned something within the shadows that has alarmed you?”

Souda smiled at him, “D’ya know where we are?”

Gundham looked confused. Souda rolled his eyes sarcastically.

“C’mon! Don’t go makin’ me be all sappy…” Souda looked off to the side, “This is where you first kissed me.”

Gundham’s face softened and he leaned down to press his lips to Souda’s, hands cupping Souda’s face. Souda put his hands on Gundham’s chest and kissed him back deeply.

“And I swear to do it again,”

He did.

“And again,”

He did.

“And again.”

He did, of course. 

Suddenly, Souda had to stop himself from telling Gundham that he loved him.

It made the smile fall from his face and his heart plummet to his stomach. He’d never felt that way about anyone in his entire life and the prospect of being so emotionally vulnerable was terrifying. Plus, he didn’t want to scare Gundham away by saying something so soon.

The change in energy from Souda made Gundham frown and moved back to look at him, “Have I done something?”

Souda shook his head and put a smile back on his face. He kissed Gundham and sighed into his lips.

“Nah, yer perfect,” he murmured before moving back and taking his hand, “Let’s go home, ‘kay?”

Gundham smiled, clearly getting sleepy, and walked with him. Souda could feel the breeze on his face, but he couldn’t feel the chill. He walked to the beat of the mantra in his head.

_ IlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehim _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the month-long wait guys!! i need to get on a more strict schedule with this & have a more consistent posting schedule, but until then thanks for bearing with me anyway <333 this chapter is sort of a love letter to the first part of CSISO and I wanted it to be a little bit of fun before we move into some more plot-based stuff. thanks for reading!!


	6. Grave Architecture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a little warning for some self-deprecating language later in the chapter if that’s something that can potentially trigger you!

Souda stood just behind Miu, next to Ibadashi as she conducted a trial with Kiibo to a group of executives inside of a large, corporate building. Since the initial exposition at the college, demand for viewings of Kiibo had grown exponentially. Miu was being flooded with emails everyday from educational institutions, technology companies, government officials, and even random admirers. On this particular occasion, they were displaying Kiibo’s abilities to a few colleagues of the President of Towa City College; people who encompassed some of each of the interested parties trying to get a glimpse of the innovative robot themselves. 

They’d gone through the standard routine: conversation, display of software, Go, then his battle mode. Being that the showing had to be held indoors, as circumstance would have it, the battle display had to be far less focused on Kiibo’s targeting and accuracy, but on how he could seek out hidden targets. 

One of the executives had brought along his young daughter, who had been holding in her arms a squirming shih-tzu the entire meeting. When the time for trial came around, Miu asked for her’s and the dog’s assistance. Miu had the girl hide her dog somewhere around the building while Kiibo would be momentarily powered down.

At first, the girl hid the dog inside of a coat closet in the next room over; Kiibo tracked it down within seconds. The more rounds that passed, the more determined the girl was to put the dog somewhere she thought Kiibo could not find it. She rode elevators and left it under the desks of receptionists on other floors, hid it in ladies restrooms, and put him outside with security guards. Each time, even after just powering up, Kiibo could track the dog down anywhere it was hidden within the facility. 

Everyone was highly impressed. The tech executives were especially vocal about their interest in the project. 

“Tell me more about how K1 is able to track down the small dog in such a large facility?” one of the high-ranking members of the company who had been hosting the exhibition asked Souda.

Souda stammered; he hadn’t prepped to answer any questions, that was supposed to be Miu’s job. She sighed and replied in his stead.

“Kiibo is equipped with infrared capabilities in all of the sensors fitted to the outside of his body,” Miu responded, clearly trying not to get irritated with her audience. 

One of the partners of the company spoke up, still directing his question to Souda, “Have the two of you thought about selling other copies like it?”

That question seemed to reroute the entire energy of the presentation. Souda was surprised; Miu looked hurt and mortified. The man chuckled at their emotional reception before they could even answer his question. 

“Don’t tell me you haven't thought of it! Son, what you’ve got in front of you is a cash cow.”

Miu interjected, “No! No, we’re not selling any of Kiibo’s properties and we’re not planning on making a new model any time soon.”

The executives gave her a look, clearly not having predicted such a strong reaction from her. Ibadashi looked down and away from them; Souda just looked at Kiibo, who was playing with the girl and her dog at the other side of the room. Kiibo was directing the dog to chase a small laser light which he shined from the tip of his finger. He and the girl laughed together.

“That’s a shame,” the man responded, “You’ve got real potential here. That combat tech alone is worth a small fortune alone.”

The founder of the company procured his business card from his jacket pocket and handed it to Souda, “Well, in case you change your mind.”

Souda stared at the card in his hand, then handed it off to a pink-faced, infuriated Miu. She nodded to the executives and turned on her heel.

“Kiibo,” she barked, “Let’s go.”

Kiibo looked up and stood. He waved goodbye at the girl before he followed Miu obediently out of the room. Souda thanked the group awkwardly before scurrying after her. As he had been thanking them, though, Souda noticed a comparatively underdressed man standing at the back of the group. He had not spoken during the entire exposition, just watched attentively without reaction. They made eye contact as he followed behind the group of executives out of the room. He smiled at Souda, but the grin did not meet his eyes. It made Souda shiver.

Outside of the conference room, Miu cursed and grumbled about “money-grubbing cucks” and “soulless fucking degenerates” as she gathered up their things, took Kiibo’s hand, and stomped down the stairs to the parking lot. 

“Come now, Miu, they were just asking a simple question,” Ibadashi tried to reason as he opened up the school-sanctioned van.

“That’s what they want you to think,” Miu retorted, helped Kiibo into the backseat, “But they just want to find a way they can take and refabricate what we’ve done here cheaper and with more corners cut. They wanna fuck us, doctor! Plus, d’ya catch the way they kept talking to him instead of me?! I mean, what the fuck is going  _ on  _ here?” 

Ibadashi grimaced at the cursing as he climbed into the driver’s seat. Miu angrily slid the door of the van shut and sat next to Kiibo on the other side. Souda climbed into the front and sighed as Ibadashi pulled away.

“I think she’s right, doctor,” Souda said, “I think they’re bein’ shifty. We can’t just act like we haven’t made somethin’ bigger than us.”

Souda comprehended the implication of that statement just after he said it. He and Miu had made a super-weapon, and for what reason? Because they could? They were making a robot, so of  _ course  _ they had to outfit it with ultra-powerful weapons; it had just seemed par for the course. But now the real-world implications of this fantastical design implication was becoming all the realer. Ibadashi sighed, not being able to argue with that. Miu looked surprised that Souda had made such an apt observation. 

She nodded, looking at Ibadashi through the rear-view mirror, “Exactly. He has fuckin’ dead-accurate heat detection missles, man. Fuck, we’ve watched too many movies.”

This made Souda chuckle bitterly. Perhaps they  _ had  _ bitten off more than they could chew with the tactical side of the K1-B0 project. Souda sighed and looked out of his window.

“What do we do if he’s too powerful?” Souda asked no one in particular.

Ibadashi sighed, “Listen, I understand that this is a difficult thing for the two of you to navigate, but I think you two should focus on two things — Who is Kiibo without his weaponry, and who is he with it?”

Kiibo just watched out of his window at the world passing by. It was his first day off of campus, but they’d hardly noticed. 

—

Sonia swirled her glass of wine, chopping up vegetables to add to the charcuterie board she was putting together for herself and Pekoyama for one of their rare evenings together. Asahina hovered around her, sipping from her own glass as she plucked slivers of tiny cucumber off of the tray between bites of a donut dripping with glaze. 

“I think Sakura’s gonna pop the question soon,” Asahina said excitedly.

Sonia smiled at her, “Really?”

Asahina nodded, “We were hanging out the other night and, well, I dunno! I just get the vibe. A  _ ring  _ vibe.”

“As though there was a gem within the vicinity?” Sonia teased.

Asahina giggled madly, “You joke, but it really does feel that way! After all, the lease here is up next fall and she’s already talking about finding places together! Have you and Peko talked about that?”

Sonia blushed, “Aoi, we have only been going out for a few months!”

Asahina rolled her eyes, “C’mooon, don’t act so proper! Wait, you guys have had sex, right?”

Sonia chopped away, face going hot. Asahina gasped.

“Have you?” she asked again.

Sonia set the knife down and gave her a playfully petulant look, “Well, if you must know… We have.”

Asahina sighed with relief, taking a bite of her donut to soothe her nerves, “Oh good, I was scared you weren’t getting any!”

Sonia laughed incredulously, taking a sip of her wine.

“I’m serious!” Asahina defended, “That Junko girl was so terrible, you deserve a little bit of lovin’.”

Asahina poked Sonia in the side to punctuate her point. Sonia laughed and swatted her hand away.

“Thank you, Aoi,” Sonia relented, “I am happy with Peko.”

Asahina topped off her glass of wine, took another donut out of the pink box on the counter next to her, and made her way toward her room, “That’s good, Sonia, you deserve it. Tell her I say hi, ‘kay?”

Sonia nodded, waggling her fingers at her. She straightened out and perfected the set-up of the various cheeses, crackers, jams, and nuts. Pekoyama promised to come over right after she was able to get off of work around eight that evening. Sonia knew she would be at least an hour after that, so she planned the evening accordingly: a bottle of wine to share as well as some finger foods. 

The clock read 9:34 when there was a knock at the door. Sonia straightened out her skirt and hurried over to answer. Pekoyama, with her hair tied into braids, handed Sonia a small box of chocolates.

“Hi,” Pekoyama greeted with a smile, kissing her on the cheek and walking inside, taking her shoes and coat off in the front room, “How are you?”

Sonia smiled back, shutting the door, “I am great, it was a good day at school—

“That’s great, babe,” she said, hurriedly putting her coat, the black one Sonia had bought her on their first date, on the hook. 

Pekoyama was clearly distracted. Sonia quirked her lips and caught Pekoyama by the end of her red tie as she turned to walk into the foyer. Pekoyama sighed and turned to look at Sonia with a tired, yet sweet smile on her face. She walked forward as Sonia pulled her closer, placing her hands on Sonia’s hips.

“I’m sorry,” Pekoyama murmured before leaning down and pressing her lips to Sonia’s softly, “Hi, I missed you.”

Sonia smiled against her lips, “That is better.”

They walked into the rest of the apartment. Sonia retrieved a glass of wine for Pekoyama and picked up the charcuterie board to take into the living room. Pekoyama sank into the sofa with a sigh as she took the glass from Sonia. She took a piece of cheese off of the board and smiled at her.

“This is cute, what do you call it?”

Sonia sat next to her with her own glass of wine, “Charcuterie.”

“Ah, see? The word is right there! How fitting,” Pekoyama mused, offering her arm so Sonia could curl herself into her side.

They enjoyed each other’s proximity quietly for a few moments before Sonia spoke up, “How has work been?”

Pekoyama closed her eyes and let out a deep breath at the question. Sonia frowned, sitting back and looking at her, then down at her hands. Her knuckles were a faded purple color on her left hand. Sonia sighed, kissing her shoulder comfortingly.

“Things have been — well, hectic. Do you remember that new gang I was telling you about? Well, they’re going too far now. They’re too young, too sloppy — but what they lack in perspective they gain in tenacity. Our guys on the streets are being hit hard everyday and my people keep getting threats on the Boss’ life. They’re saying they’re gonna get him while he’s sleeping or infiltrate from the inside.”

Sonia’s breath hitched. Though she could not imagine the life Pekoyama lived, she knew well the repercussions and implications of the threats the rival gang was making. She was all-too familiar with politics and its inner workings; yakuza business didn’t seem too far off. Pekoyama took a long drink of her wine.

“First, one of our, uh, ‘special’ shipments was intercepted on the coast. I had some of my people go after them and we got the stuff back, but I think we really pissed some people off.”

Sonia looked up at her, “D-Did—

“Some of them had to die, Sonia.”

Sonia. shivered, looking away from Pekoyama. She ran her fingers through Sonia’s hair.

“I don’t expect you to understand. I barely do and I have to be calling most of the shots,” Pekoyama sighed, “It’s getting to be a lot, you know? These guys are making some big promises that I can’t afford to ignore. Of course, the Big Man isn’t worried— in fact, he pretty much forced me to take the night off.”

Sonia nodded, “I just… I want you to be okay.”

“I am,” Pekoyama kissed her head, “and I will be.”

Tears welled in Sonia’s eyes, but she fought them off. She reached up and wiped her eyes as she took a long drink of the remainder of her wine. When she set her glass down, Pekoyama reached out and gently touched her jaw, guiding her to lean in and press a kiss to her lips.

“I think about you all the time, everyday, Sonia,” Pekoyama whispered, “I wish I could come home to you every night.”

That made the waterworks come back for Sonia. She reached up and cupped Pekoyama’s cheek, tears spilling over the edge of her grey-green eyes. She kissed her tenderly before resting their foreheads together. Pekoyama wiped away her tears with the pad of her thumb.

“I promise,” she murmured, “I’m going to make that happen.”

—

Gundham rose with a heaviness.

The sheer jubilation of the previous weekend’s debauchery and partying had him on a temporary high that lasted up until the following Monday. Gundham was accustomed to such periods where he went from moving through his days with relative normalcy, to not wanting to get out of bed for at least a year.

Yet, Gundham’s guilt caught up with him before he could fully submerge into the icy numbness. There was a sense of guilt backing many of his thought processes. If things were going poorly, he would be consumed by the shame he felt over his unexplainable dark periods; as though he were a burden to everyone around him. However, if things were going decently, Gundham couldn’t seem to beat back the guilt from creeping in and taking his attention; like he was unworthy of decency in his life, rationality be damned.

It wasn’t something he preferred to discuss with other people, as he didn’t want to appear to be licking his wounds. Besides, Gundham Tanaka, the Forbidden Prince of Darkness and Chaos, was not one for pity. From childhood, Gundham adapted. He learned how to set his face into a scowl and keep his eyes trained forward; it did well to keep people from messing with him, but it also drove people away. Sonia was not only his best friend, but perhaps even his first real friend. Everyone else before her had seemed too close-minded, too simple, too crass. But sometimes, they were even too kind, which was well and good on its own if only he deserved such extensions of courtesy. Something about Sonia adhered to his heart despite his aversion to company. 

Being a child, loneliness served as torment as much as it did in serving as sanctuary. But the further he moved into his adulthood, the further behind him the lonely boy aspect of his life fell. There was so much love and genuine companionship in his life, which made the emptiness he felt all the more mysterious and tiring. 

Gundham tried to keep this internal struggle determinedly inside. Of course, his mother sometimes asked him what was wrong when he spent most of his free time sleeping or if his responses had grown shorter. However most of the time he was in a low period, he tried to maintain his composure in front of his family. Though part of him wanted to crawl into a far off cave to hibernate the feeling away, Gundham also felt he had a responsibility to stave off his guilt of burdening those around him by operating as though everything was normal.

So, he woke up early in the morning as he usually did when his classes were in the late afternoon, ate with his mother, and tried to let himself get lost in the monotony of tending to cages while he listened to his music. If he were lucky, he could get through nearly half of the store without the thoughts coming to him, but this morning had not been so. A voice in his head said to him:  _ You’re so sloppy; what if you mess up? If you manage to kill any of these animals, you’ll be losing thousands of dollars and your family’s reputation. Surely you’ll slip someday, fate guides you toward chaos. You’re a mistake bound to make more of them. _

Gundham was an expert in animal care; the likelihood of an animal dying due to negligence or a lapse treatment was extremely low. Yet, this was just another symptom of his affliction — he worried himself into feeling guilty about things that hadn’t even happened, which was then followed by a guiltiness about making things up in his mind just to feel worse about nothing.

Before he knew it, hours had passed by him; he must have not heard when his mother took the girls to school and left for the day. Did they think he was mad at them? Did he seem rude, listening to his music that loud? Had they even noticed him? Gundham sighed and decided to take a break at the front desk. He guided the toucan he’d been feeding onto his arm so she could occupy the perch near the window there. The bird looked with her head cocked as she stared out the window. Gundham checked the business’ emails.

For some reason, Gundham was surprised that members of the Federation of Canines from France had not rescinded their offer. There was no real reason to think such things, the Breedery was very renowned and successful in the ethical breeding industry. But what if they found a reason? What if they emailed one day saying something along the lines of “Oh yes, Ena Tanaka, you are a very talented and hardworking woman indeed, too bad your disappointment of a son is holding you back. We’ve decided to cut ties and revoke our invitation.”

As the fates would have it, there indeed was an email from the Federation in the business’ inbox. It was a forwarding of their boarding passes, hotel information, and a completed itinerary of the show in late December. Gundham and his mother would be flying on a round trip, first class to Paris, France where they would be treated as honored judges. He sighed and rested his head in his hands, closing his eyes. He knew he should feel proud and excited, but a pit within him grew wider; he felt horrible for feeling so horrible. 

Yet, he couldn’t help the darkness within him; it had always been there in some fashion or another, ever since he childhood. Everytime he felt himself getting a little too excited or going too long without having an altogether bad day, there was a voice inside of his head that made sure to tell him:  _ You are not like other people — you do not get to be happy like other people. You are a creature of cold and darkness. You do not deserve companionship. You do not deserve joy _ . Gundham lived his life as normally as he could manage, but behind the scenes he felt the crushing weight of gloom and guilt on his shoulders.

Ultimately, Gundham was tired. He was tired of the wariness when he went periods of relatively uninterrupted normalcy, only to be followed by yet another wave of lows. Everything felt heavy; he wanted to sleep.

Then, the entrance to the shop chimed. Hoshiko’s voice carried into the room as she squawked a song she’d learned at school. He’d forgotten their occasional half days. Gundham forced himself to sit up again, watching as Hoshi tracked in a few crunched autumn leaves and made her way up the aisle, getting distracted every few steps by another animal she had to say hello to. Amaterasu and Ena walked in together shortly thereafter, pausing their conversation to greet Gundham. 

He summed up a smile and waved back. Ena helped the girls out of their coats from school and let them chase each other up the stairs into the loft. She leaned against the front counter and chatted with Gundham.

“It’s getting chillier out, we’ll have to start moving some of the temperature-regulated tanks from the front and put them back here so they don’t get any wind chill. Too bad, though, I know that python loves to watch people as they walk by.”

Gundham nodded, looking with the toucan out the window at the pale, overcast sky. Ena raised an eyebrow at her son and studied his face. She sighed and leaned away from the counter.

“It’s the end of your shift,” she said, “Let’s shut up shop for a little bit and take a tea break, okay?”

Before Gundham could say anything, Ena reached behind the desk and grabbed the ring of keys to the shop’s doors and guided the toucan onto her arm to put her away. She picked up their sidewalk sign and set it inside before shutting the glass door and locking up and turning back to Gundham with a smile on her face.

“Go on, I’ll start the water while you change,” she said, shoo-ing him up the stairs. 

He smiled a little and trudged up to change from his work clothes into a pair of dark purple lounge pants, a band t-shirt he’d permanently borrowed from Souda, and his scarf. He walked back into the kitchen pulling back his hair to find his mother already transferring the boiling water from the electric kettle into a teapot. 

“Grab the tea and some cups,” she said, walking into the sitting room with the teapot and a pot-holder to place underneath. 

Gundham did as he was asked and gathered up the materials. He sat down next to his mother and handed off the supplies. Ena hummed as she poured the tea, which made Gundham notice the lack of sibling presence in the vicinity. She must have asked them to play or do homework in their rooms. She served Gundham his cup, which he thanked her for. Then, they both took a long inhale of the tea’s scent before drinking; a little habit Ena had passed on to each of her children hereditarily.

Ena set her cup down and faced her son, “Is something the matter, Gundham?”

Gundham sighed, “There appears to be forces at play between the fabrics of this reality and the next which have stricken me with undue hollowness. The very same infernal hellbeasts which beset my curse in utero still have their wicked game to play with my mind.”

Ena sipped her tea again, deciphering what she could out of the mostly vague response. “So nothing happened?”

Gundham shrugged and shook his head. Ena sighed and touched his hand. Gundham couldn’t meet her gaze, ashamed of himself for being upset — something he construed as weakness. 

“Son, why don’t you try putting it plainly?” she suggested.

A lump formed in Gundham’s throat. His mother tolerated and respected his dramatics and grandiosity so much that she always treaded lightly when asking him to tone it back for some reason or another. Rather than asking for him to speak like a “normal person” like so many tended to do, his mother instead asked for him to just simplify his speech. How could he feel so miserable with such supportive forces in his life? His lip quivered, so he pulled his scarf over his nose and looked between his mother and his cup of tea.

“I…” he tried, finding the words harder to put together when he had to put it conventionally.

But he couldn’t get there. His voice wavered as he blinked tears from his eyes. Ena’s hand tightened around his.

“Did something happen with Kazuichi?” she asked, obviously having feared that question.

Gundham chuckled with a touch of bitterness and shook his head, wiping tears away with the edge of his scarf as though that would stop their coming. His hands began to tremor.

“No, not at all — that would at least make sense,” Gundham managed, “I do not  _ know _ why I feel so… pathetic.”

“Well, did something bring this on?”

Gundham shrugged, “The Federation in Paris corresponded — we are to be flown out in December.”

Ena’s face brightened, “Gundham, that’s great news! Is something going wrong with the show?”

She was trying hard to understand his hurting, but there was no reasoning to grapple on to. Hot tears flowed down his face and he took in a shuddering breath which he fought to keep in rather than sob. When was the last time he cried? Gundham couldn’t pin the exact timing of the last occurrence down, it had been so long. Ena moved over and wrapped her arms around Gundham, stroking his back as he quietly wept.

“I know you get this way sometimes, Gundham — a mother always seems to know about these types of things. I…,” she sighed, “I guess I just thought you’d rather handle this on your own, like you always do. I should have seen this becoming too much for you.”

Gundham shook his head, moving back so he could look at his mother, “No, I just—

“There’s no shame in asking someone for help,” she interjected, rubbing his shoulder, “You’re just a strong, talented young man — I think you do such a good job convincing everyone that you’re superhuman that I even believe you sometimes. But we all need a little assistance sometimes, right? Why don’t you call your doctor this week and ask for her recommendation for some counseling? Maybe talking to someone qualified is a good first step.”

The critic in his brain taunted him:  _ Look at you, crying in your mother’s arms like a child. You make me sick. She still has to take control of your health because you’re somehow incapable of doing so yourself. Where did it all go so wrong? Why are you so selfish? Why are you so greedy? Why— _

But even Gundham couldn’t deny, talking to his doctor was probably all he could do. He’d tried everything from energy healings with and without crystals, to spending weeks at the stables to connect with the animal kingdom and nature, to getting up every morning an hour before he had to open the shop and going for a run, to devoting all of his spare time to seeing either Sonia or Souda. Everything did well enough to distract him, but nothing actually diminished strain for longer than a week or so. The inky blackness always seemed to find him.

Gundham wiped his face and took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He nodded, which made Ena smile. Gundham gradually settled and finished his tea. His mother looked at him fondly.

“I love you, son,” she said, squeezing his shoulder, “Don’t hesitate to come to me, okay?”

Gundham nodded, sniffling as he smiled at her. He uncrossed his legs and stood up. Not wanting to cry again, Gundham gathered up his used up, washed it out, and went to his room lay down with the Devas as he tended to do when he felt particularly miserable. But some small part of the heaviness had subsided from that conversation with his mother. Perhaps there were answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh things are getting a little bit moodier here! i wanted to use this chapter as an opportunity for three little vignettes in everyone’s day. thank you all so so much for reading, it means so much!


	7. Spooky Chills

“Hajime, did you know that the Ace Attorney franchise has been around since the early 2000s?” Kiibo asked.

Hinata leaned back in his chair as Sonia hairpsrayed, teased, and combed his hair. He grunted as she yanked.

“Y-Yeah, I know, Kiibo, I’ve played it since I was a kid — I dressed as Phoenix last year, but no one could— ouch! But no one could tell because I didn’t do my hair,” Hinata explained.

“Luckily you have me!” Sonia chirped, “Close your eyes.”

He did so and Sonia sprayed hairspray into his hair. Kiibo sat on the couch with his hands on his knees, feet on a charging pad which Miu instructed him to stay on until it was time to leave.

“My apologies, Hajime, I scan Wikis when I get excited.”

Sonia smirked and adjusted the fake weapons belt slung around her waist. She was wearing big cargo pants and a ribbed black tank top with a series of fake knives and stakes strapped to her arms and thighs.

“Well, Kiibo, could you inform Hajime here about the origins of the vampire slayer? He thinks I made my costume up.”

Kiibo gasped an airless gasp, “You’ve never heard of Van Helsing, Hajime?”

He shrugged, “Had you before just now?”

Souda knew that they were having a conversation, but wasn’t about to wait until it was over to show off his costume. He walked into the room and held his arms out with a great “ta-da” gesture. He was wearing a pair of plastic red horns on a headband, a red jumpsuit like the ones he wore to work/school (which he purchased expressly for the occasion), and a plastic red barbed trident which came in a package with the horns. Sonia smiled, Kiibo clapped, Hinata raised his brow. 

“Lost the tail?” he asked.

Souda turned around and looked at his backside to confirm that, indeed, the tail was missing. 

“Shit! One sec.”

He turned back around to the bathroom, where he and Gundham had been getting ready. Gundham’s arm was extended out of the door frame, holding out a pointed red tail on a waistband as he adhered custom-fit fangs onto his teeth; Gundham got them made a few Halloweens ago and used them every year. Souda took the tail from his hand and stepped into it.

“Thanks, babe,” he said, aligning it roughly to his tailbone. He smiled cheekily at Gundham, “I offered to give you a couple of mine! You just gotta knock ‘em outta my face though.”

Souda snickered but they both knew he wasn’t joking. Gundham sighed and took his fingers out of his mouth, putting the adhesive on the other fang.

“Kazuichi, I will not hit you,” he said sternly, blowing on the fang to get the glue tacky.

Souda groaned, “C’mooon, I’m not askin’ ya to beat me to a pulp ‘er nothin’! Just to slap me around a little…”

Gundham shot him another glare as he held the fang into his mouth, eyes lingering on the blush of Souda’s cheeks. Souda stuck out his lower lip and clasped his hands together, blinking his eyes dramatically. Gundham rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless.

“Go be a nuisance elsewhere,” he teased once the adhesive was secure, some of the consonants getting lost with the fangs in his mouth.

But at that, Souda stepped forward, eyes softened and his smile fond. He took the stiff collar of Gundham’s dramatic, purple cloak into his hands and stepped forward. Gundham placed his hands on Souda’s waist. Souda rested their foreheads together. He wanted to say something; say he was sorry for perpetually being elsewhere.

It was the first time he’d seen Gundham in person since the weekend of the Remnants of Despair show. Souda and Miu had been working nonstop on Kiibo, preparing him for further expositions and tightening up the entire operation’s security protocol. He wanted to apologize for not having carved out time, for being so quick to get off the phone at the end of the day so he could sleep. What Gundham had been up to in the couple of weeks had been obvious, but how he was doing was lesser so. Even with the pale foundation and dramatic eyeshadow, Souda could see how the bags under his eyes had worsened. 

He wanted to say something — ask something. He wanted so much with too much at play. After all, their friends were in the living room and Miu and Kaede would be back from the store any minute; it was a conversation meant for a time when they were alone. So, Souda just wrapped his arms around Gundham’s shoulders. Gundham paused, surprised, but embraced Souda all the same.

“Come now, I will ruin your costume with my painted visage.”

“I don’t care,” Souda murmured.

Gundham’s hand stroked his back and kissed his head carefully, not wanting to transfer any makeup onto his hair. Souda pressed his lips to Gundham’s shoulder before parting from him. 

Souda smirked, “Hey, you didn’t put a bite mark on your neck! Lemme do it.”

Gundham laughed and pushed Souda away as he lunged for his neck, “Thank you, but I do believe makeup will suffice.”

Souda shrugged and walked back out to the living room, twirling his tail, “Suit yourself!”

Just then, Akamatsu and Miu entered the apartment carrying a few various items. Akamatsu. was wearing a light pink dress made of lace and tulle with a matching pair of delicate wings. They were quite intricate things and looked almost like a cross between butterfly and dragonfly wings. Her makeup was all glittery and pink as well. She set down the bottle of Suntory she was holding. Souda walked over and picked it up.

“Startin’ the party early, Kaede?”

“If you can hang, Kazuichi.”

Hinata and Miu ‘ooh’-ed in unison. Her hair was teased and she’d borrowed a set of lab goggles and a coat from Professor Ibadashi to pull off her mad scientist look. She and Kiibo would be a duo for the evening, with Kiibo posing as a real person in an intricate robot suit. 

Miu set down a grocery bag and unpacked some tiny plastic cups, Hope brand cigarettes for Souda, a bag of chocolate candy, a bag of sour candy, and some lollipops. Souda descended upon the candy and slid the cigarettes into his pocket. He opened each bag and sampled from them, disregarding Miu’s protests; she thought he should just pick from one bag at a time. As they bickered back and forth about the candy, Gundham made his appearance in full vampire regalia. His clothing was elegant and complex, much more well-made than something you would find at just any costume store. He wore a dark purple vest and slacks, a matching cloak which was tied around his neck, and an intricately detailed white dress shirt with long, billowing sleeves. Akamatsu clapped.

“Oh, Sonia, go pose with him, I wanna take a picture!” she said.

Sonia, who had just sprayed the last layer of hairspray into Hinata’s hair, walked over and posed with Gundham. They immediately assumed a dramatic pose, with Sonia’s hand fisted into the front of his shirt as she held the wooden stake menacingly over him. Akamatsu laughed and snapped a few pictures on her phone while Miu poured shots.

“Alright, alright, let’s knock a few of these back — We’ve gotta meet up with Chihiro and Mondo in thirty minutes.”

Souda took the shot she was handing him and knocked it back. He sucked hard on the lollipop in his mouth, willing the watermelon sweetness to chase down the heat of the whiskey. Miu took the cup from his hand and refilled it. He sighed, braced himself once more, and took the second shot. He coughed and set the cup down as the lot of them knocked theirs back. 

“Ah, are you consuming such small amounts because it’s alcoholic?” Kiibo asked them.

Souda nodded, “Yeah, it’s whisky.”

Kiibo blinked, clearly having just gone over every single fact about whiskey he could access, “Well, be sure to consume plenty of water this evening! It will mitigate the effects of a hangover.”

Sonia smiled at the robot, “Thank you, Kiibo.”

Miu clapped her hands, “Ready to go, C-Three?”

The joke didn’t register for Kiibo immediately, but his face lit up when he understood. He laughed his tinny laugh and said yes. Souda walked over and helped him off of the charging pad. The plan for the evening was for the group of them to spend Halloween downtown. Kiibo would be coming with them, posing as a human wearing a highly intricate costume. Souda and Miu gave him no instruction on how to deal with any questions, interactions, or other situations that might arise. They wanted to see how well Kiibo could do posing as a human in a human environment with no assistance or prompting. Everyone gathered up their things, put on their shoes in the foyer, and walked down to the dark street. Miu laced her arms with both Kaede and Kiibo as they made their way to the train.

“So, tell me the plan for if someone gets you alone and tries to fuck with you?” she asked Kiibo.

“I’ll try to get away from them and return to the group, but if worse comes to worst I will undergo my self-defense protocol.”

Souda walked alongside Gundham as he called Hagakure and talked with him on the phone, arranging a meeting place in town.

“Just try not to get separated from us, ‘kay?” Souda added, not wanting to deal with the repercussions of his robot hurting random weirdos on the street. 

“He’s gonna be a good boy, aren’t you?” Miu cooed, feigning a pinch to his silicone face.

Kiibo cocked his head, “ _ Am  _ I a boy?”

Miu paused, “ _ Are _ you? I mean you’re a robot, but—

Gundham, having just hung up with Hagakure, interrupted as they all walked up to the platform, “Yasuhiro, the fallacious oracle of Fourth Dimension Oddities, has arranged a rendezvous in about sixty minutes time. We are to meet himself and his partner at the storefront.”

“I love it when you boss us around,” Miu swooned sardonically. 

Souda laughed as Gundham fiddled with the collar of his cloak due to his absent scarf. The train arrived shortly and the group of them entered the cabin. Being that it was the main line into town, everyone who was participating in the Halloween festivities was packed into the train car. There wasn’t much room to sit down, as the train was riddled with people in costumes. Some of them were elaborate and specific to certain manga, games, or anime. Others were more simplistic and classical. Either way, there were people everywhere and their group had to split up and spread out. 

Souda followed Gundham to a nearby pole and grabbed hold of it, keeping an eye on Kiibo as he decided to stand alone at the other end of the car. The train pulled away from the platform and Kiibo took hold of the pole next to him, despite the fact that he could stand up straight on practically vertical surfaces if need be. People next to him gawked at what they assumed was a costume, some of them even slyly taking pictures as though Kiibo didn’t notice. He was looking out the window, trying not to pose very obviously.

Gundham leaned down so he could see from Souda’s point of view. Souda looked up at him, heart beating fast when he noticed his proximity to Gundham and inhaled the scent of soap on his skin. Would he ever get tired of this man? Would he ever get used to the fact that, yes, this was  _ his  _ boyfriend? He sucked on his lollipop and studied Gundham’s face as he watched Kiibo and the people around him. Gundham glanced down at him, a little smile quirking his lips before he reached out and took the lollipop out of Souda’s mouth and popped it into his own. Blood rushed to Souda’s face and he had to look away out of the sheer embarrassment and thrill. Gundham chuckled and held his free hand; Souda could hear the lowness of his voice resonate in his chest and squeezed his hand.

Once the train stopped at the main station in Towa City, people poured out of the car in droves. Souda hung back to make sure Kiibo got out okay and met the rest of the group out on the sidewalk. 

“Someone asked me for my phone number,” Kiibo informed him, sounding a bit like he was bragging.

Souda looked him up and down and laughed, “A small fry like you? Really?”

Kiibo shrugged, “I could always get a knee extension… You’re stuck with that face for the rest of your life.”

The sheer blow of that burn made Souda stop in his tracks. Kiibo smiled up at him with a devious look on his silicone face. Souda shook his head and put his arm around Kiibo in a brotherly way.

“Well, since you had to go on bein’ mean, I’m gonna roll back on your sarcasm protocol.”

“Yes, sarcasm. Right.”

Souda laughed and playfully shoved him away as they approached the group. Miu gave Souda a look as he did so. 

“Take your kid, Miu, he’s buggin’ me.”

Miu stuck her arms out and pouted her bottom lip, “Awww, come to mama!”

Kiibo laughed a bit awkwardly and walked past her, continuing into the throng of people with Sonia and Akamatsu. Miu gasped dramatically but looked a little hurt. Both girls laughed and locked their arms with Kiibo, letting him escort them down the street to the bar. Miu pouted and crossed her arms.

“Where’s  _ my  _ big titty entourage?” she whined.

Then, her face lit up as realization struck her. She reached out and made both Hinata and Gundham lock arms with her as she waltzed up the sidewalk. Hinata looked genuinely surprised while Gundham just blushed.

“What? Come on my chest is not  _ that  _ big,” Hinata defended.

Souda snorted as he walked alongside them. Hinata shot him a look. Souda put his hands up.

“C’mon, dude, you go around with the buttons on your shirt  _ struggling _ to keep it all together.”

Miu barked with laughter, leaning over and making the boys keep her upright as she stumbled with the hilarity of it all. Ahead of them, people stopped and ogled at Kiibo, stunned with the intricacy of his costume. Sonia and Akamatsu gave each other knowing looks and played it up for all of them, giggling and squeezing closer to Kiibo to make it seem like he was saying or joking about something brilliant. People stared as they walked down the street and into the bar Fujisaki and Oowada suggested. 

As they entered, Oowada and Fujisaki waved from a large, circular booth in the back corner. They were both dressed up in their usual clothes and riding trenchcoats, except for their matching headbands which looked like arrows shot through their heads. Kiibo scooted into the booth next to Fujisaki.

“It’s good to see you out and about, Kiibo. Having fun?” they asked, sipping their beer from a frosty mug. 

Kiibo nodded, “Oh yes, it’s been an amazing time so far! I’d even hazard to call it fun.”

Souda chuckled and settled into the booth at the edge next to Gundham and across from Oowada, “Woah there, don’t go gettin’ ahead of yerself.”

The waitress walked over just then and took their orders for drinks. As they waited, the table broke into several separate conversations. Hinata and Fujisaki discussed the Ace Attorney franchise, Miu and Kiibo talked about the effects of inebriation on the human constitution, and Akamatsu and Sonia began to gossip about work/school. Souda looked up at Gundham, then over to Oowada with an awkward, but well-meaning smile. He hadn’t talked to the guy much. Something about his quiet demeanor and his fearsome eyes made him antsy, but he had to be a decent enough guy to hang around Fujisaki. Besides, he hung out for the entire day of their first Kiibo expo just to be supportive, the least he could do is engage the dude in some real conversation.

“So,” Souda began, “What’s yer costume, Mondo?”

Oowada’s stern face softened. He smiled back at him and ran his fingers through his bleached pompadour.

“Honestly, Chihiro rolled up with these things just so we’d have a costume,” he said, pointing to the arrow headband.

Souda chuckled along with him. The waitress showed up with a platter of beers and cocktails which she handed out to their respective recipients. Souda took a swig of his beer as Gundham stirred his purple mixed drink. Oowada took a long drink and ordered another round, which Souda decided to hop on so he could get his second beer sooner than later. He leaned against Gundham, who responded by wrapping his arm around Souda’s shoulders.

Oowada swallowed the last of his beer before speaking up again, “I’d ask what you guys are but I think it’s pretty much obvious.”

Gundham and Souda chuckled in tandem, which made Gundham squeeze him closer as he sipped his cocktail.

Oowada laughed too, “So, you guys been together for a while?”

Souda felt suddenly bashful by the question. Gundham seemed to notice and stepped in to answer.

“I have been sharing the company with this dearest soul and entity since the waning of summer months this year’s past. And might I say — never has a companionship so enthralled me as this. He is my one and, perhaps, even my only.”

Souda’s shivered, his entire body suddenly wracked with chills. Gundham had never said that before, but yet again, no one had ever asked, not even his own self. Oowada’s hard expression softened; he looked touched by that.

“Ah, man, that’s just too fuckin’ cool. I wish I had that kind of courage.”

Gundham shrugged, “It is less about bravery, but instead about a sense of obligation. I cannot help but be who I am, which involves the transference of my own romantic energy and stamina into other men. Denying truth is a futile exercise.”

Oowada’s smile took on a touch of bittersweetness, “Yeah, I s’pose you’ve got family that accepts that sort of thing.”

Gundham appeared as though he wanted to argue that point but ultimately decided against it. Perhaps defending that statement would be as inappropriate as it was pointless. Instead, he stayed quiet and gave Oowada his signature “go-on-I’m-listening” look. However, Oowada said nothing more and instead thanked the waitress as she dropped off his and Souda’s mugs of frothing Suntory. Souda took the mug in his hand and offered it to Oowada for a kanpai. Oowada smiled, clicked their glasses, kanpai-ed, then took a long swig with Souda.

“C’mon, I’ll just ask him if you’re not gonna tell me,” Miu said to Fujisaki, the conversation having shifted slightly.

Fujisaki put their hands out, “No, don’t do that, M—

Miu looked at Oowada, spinning her straw through her pale pink cocktail, “What’s the back of your jackets mean, Mondo?”

She asked the question just as Oowada had set his beer down. His face hardened again, which made Souda shiver with anxiety. Oowada looked much kinder when his guard was down.

He sighed and Fujisaki touched his forearm comfortingly. Suddenly, all conversation at the booth halted as attention was turned toward the question Miu asked. She and Akamatsu communicated with looks; Miu conveyed her innocence as Akamatsu admonished her, but Oowada spoke up soon enough.

“Well, it’s kinda shitty and complicated... See, my dad used to run the Crazy Diamonds like real gangs, but he disbanded the crew on his deathbed — told everyone that the violence and crime weren’t worth it. In the end, he valued the  _ bikes _ , not drugs or crime. So, the symbolism is for all Crazy Diamonds, but…”

Oowada looked like it pained him to continue. Souda gulped, Sonia straightened in her seat, Miu fiddled with her fingers. Oowada continued.

“But recently, my brother Daiya… He’s been fuckin’ things up for our riding group. See, he’s been callin’ up some of the older members and tempting ‘em with promises of money and shit, when it’s not supposed to be about that anymore. I dunno what to do, honestly. He’s making this symbol seem like some kind of gang shit when it’s not supposed to be that way.”

Hinata blurted, “What’s that mean?”

Oowada seemed somewhat surprised by the question, but answered all the same. “Well, he and some other guys are robbing people, stealing shit, generally fucking people over. A guy wound up stabbed last week in the prefecture over… It was connected to our group for the first time in a decade. Chihiro and I are getting pulled over constantly — I dunno what to fuckin’ do anymore.”

No one at the table spoke, seemingly unable to verbalize how they felt about the situation. Fujisaki squeezed Oowada’s shoulder in solidarity. Souda shivered, picturing sharp switchblades plunging into soft skin, which made Gundham squeeze him closer out of defensive instinct. Sonia reached across the table and touched Oowada’s tanned hand.

“I am sorry, Mondo. I truly hope something can be done about this,” she said with a maternal sincerity.

Oowada smiled appreciatively at her, “Thanks, Sonia.”

Kiibo spoke up, “My databases show that the most effective form of communication between estranged siblings is through mutual admission of wrong-doing.”

Oowada’s smile fell. Just as the words left Kiibo, Souda looked over at the robot, horrified that he’d just said that. Miu shot him a punishing look, which made Kiibo’s programmed confidence falter. 

“I apologize, Mondo. That wasn’t appropriate.”

Oowada shrugged and put his beer to his lips to take a sip, “It’s okay, you’re still learnin’ all the human bullshit.”

That seemed to lighten the mood, as everyone else took a drink at the same time. Kiibo, who had ordered a glass of water so as not to look suspicious, poured it into a plant behind him. Ever the leader, Sonia spoke up once more and changed the subject.

“So,” she began, “before we got here, we made a plan to meet with our good friend Yasuhiro and his partner, Leon. They are closing up his shop nearby, which is where they were going to meet us. From there, we should all be ready to go to the haunted house.”

Souda had been polishing off the last of his beer when Sonia said the words “haunted house.” He choked slightly on the beer and, in trying not to make a fool of himself, swallowed it hard.

“Haunted house?” he belched, which took away from the surprise in his tone. 

Miu and Akamatsu laughed hard at that, given the horrified look on his face coupled with such a raunchous burp.

Hinata chuckled, “No one told you?”

“Well, do not fret, Kazuichi, I will protect you!” Sonia declared.

She flexed her arm, showing how strong she was. Strangely enough, it did make him feel a little better for just a moment. Souda didn’t do well with horror on an indirect level, let alone people trying to simulate it right in front of him. The waitress walked by at just that moment and he flagged her down.

“Can I get a shot?”

“Of course! Of what?”

“Somethin’ strong,” he sighed.

Oowada put a finger up, “Make it two.”

Gundham finished his cocktail, “And a third, if it is convenient.”

The waitress laughed good-naturedly, “Three shots of something strong, got it! Anything for the rest of you?”

When no one said anything, Kiibo put his hand up, ”I’ll take one!”

She nodded, “Four, then. I’ll be back!”

Once she had left, Miu looked at Kiibo incredulously, “What’s got into you tonight?”

He shrugged, “The Halloween spirit’s come over me, I suppose.”

“Oh, well congratulations. But, pray tell, who the fuck is going to take your shot for you?”

Kiibo paused, clearly not having considered that. Then, the waitress came by again and dropped off a series of clear shots that smelled like a doctor’s office. Fujisaki reached over and took the shot from Kiibo and clinked the glasses before they all knocked them back in unison. Souda, Fujisaki, and Oowada all cringed as the cheap liquor singed their throats, but Gundham’s face stayed neutral as he grabbed a cup off of the middle of the table and dispensed cold water into it through the little tap installed into each of the tables. He drank carefully so as not to loosen the glue on the fangs. Everyone around the table looked at him incredulously. Souda cleared his throat and leaned on his hand, smiling dreamily up at him.

“Yer amazin’,” Souda swooned.

Gundham rolled his eyes and chuckled as he drank his glass of water, “There are surely more notable proficiencies which deserve your admiration, but any indication of your esteem is fuel for the flame in my heart.”

Oowada blinked, pausing his just-dispensed water at his lips, “Damn, bro, I thought that was gonna be some sappy bullshit.”

Hinata looked at Oowada. “And?”

Oowada took a sip, “And it is.”

That made all of them burst into laughter. Souda rolled his eyes and sat up to gingerly kiss Gundham’s cheek so as not to ruin his foundation, but not before taking a glance around the bar to, well, make sure that would be a good idea. Gundham smiled good-naturedly and leaned against him. 

A man suddenly approached the table. He was a tall guy who slouched a significant amount, making him look a few inches shorter than he probably was. He held his phone close to his body in a somewhat nervous manner. He was dressed in a long cloak and looked like an anxious mage. He straightened his glasses as all eyes turned to him.

“Erm, h-hi! I was wondering if I could take a picture,” he gestured to Kiibo, “with you?”

Kiibo’s face brightened, though not literally. He nodded and looked to Fujisaki and Oowada to allow him to scoot out of the booth. Once he was out, he stood next to the stranger, who slightly stuck out his phone to Souda.

“Sorry, but could you take it?”

Souda nodded and stood up, “Sure.”

Kiibo put his hands on his hips and posed for the photo. The man leaned down so his height was closer to Kiibo’s.

“Okay, smile,” Souda said, pulling up the photo app and getting the camera ready.

Kiibo smiled eagerly. It looked incredibly human, which was yet another payoff of his and Miu’s tireless work putting in over four-hundred individualized mechanical nerve endings which contorted his face in a rather organic fashion. The man smiled with his teeth, revealing that one of his canines had been replaced with a silver tooth. Souda snapped a couple of pictures before handing the man back his phone.

“Thanks,” he said to Souda before looking back at Kiibo, “That’s a really awesome costume, man.”

Kiibo was obviously proud, “Thank you! I’ve worked on it all year.”

It didn’t even sound like a lie coming from Kiibo. Souda and Miu exchanged excited glances as the man walked away. Once the man was out of eye and earshot, Souda reached across the table and gave Miu a high-five. She celebrated by chugging the rest of her drink, which inspired those who hadn’t finished their own to follow her lead. Sonia checked the time before looking around at the group.

“Are we ready to continue to the shop?” Sonia inquired.

There was a general murmur of agreement. Oowada left a few large bills on the table as he stood up. 

“It’s on me,” he said, stopping Sonia as she rifled around her purse.

Hinata smiled, filing out of the booth with the rest of them, “Aw, thanks, Mondo. That was really cool of you.”

Oowada shrugged, “Eh, I’m just expectin’ the rest of my drinks to be fuckin’ paid for tonight.”

He smirked, indicating the sarcasm, but Sonia clearly meant to take him up on that. The group of them left the bar and made their way back out to the street. As the night fell, more and more tipsy adults in intricate costumes crowded the streets. The group of nine had to make themselves as close as possible to not lose someone in the crowd. Kiibo was ahead of everyone, eagerly moving through the throng of people and forcing Miu to practically jog in heeled boots to keep up. It did make the trip to the store quite a bit shorter than it would have been if they’d been taking a leisurely stroll.

As they rounded the corner into the alley, Hagakure and a shorter man were standing outside of the shop as Hagakure locked up. As the group approached, Hagakure waved a wide wave with his long arms.

“Hey, I knew you guys were gonna get here any second,” Hagakure said.

He was dressed in a pointed purple wizard’s hat which was embellished with silver stars along with a matching coat that went down to his ankles. He also carried a large staff made of twisted wood which had a color-changing crystal ball at the top. His hair was accessorized with silver metal cuffs and some dangling bells. 

“Everyone, this is my partner,” he said putting his arm around the other man.

“Yo, I’m Leon Kuwata. What’s up?” he said, sticking up a hand.

Kuwata had bright orange hair and a small goatee. He was outfitted in leather pants, spangled boots, and a cream-colored shirt with tassels that had silver beads on the ends. He looked like he’d just walked off a stage. Hagakure introduced each of them one at a time, even first introducing himself to people he didn’t know. Kiibo tried to play off his human act, but Miu let Hagakure and Kuwata know so that they could help wrangle him if need be.

“Ah, man, that’s a robot?” Kuwata said, getting close to Kiibo and looking at him with amazement.

Miu nodded and smiled, “Yeah, me and Souda made him. He’s pretty fuckin’ gnarly if I do say so myself.”

Kuwata looked up at Souda in pure awe. Souda suddenly noticed how pale Kuwata’s eyes were; it was striking to the point of being almost unnerving next to his bright orange hair, which also seemed similarly untamable and stubborn as his own. Hinata looked between the two men and laughed. 

“You guys kinda look alike,” he observed.

Kuwata appraised Souda, “Really? I guess I can sorta see it.”

Souda knew what Hinata meant. The guy had several piercings, including one in his tongue, he had crazy hair, and his boyfriend was a tall, kinda strange guy. The similarities were eerie. Souda laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Woah, are those real?” Kuwata asked, pointed to his mouth.

Souda nodded, “Yeah, it’s a birth defect, I guess.”

“That’s too sick, man. When I get in a band, I’m gonna get that done on a couple of teeth.”

Souda raised an eyebrow and looked him up and down, “Yer not already in one?”

Kuwata shook his head, “Nah, this is just a costume. I wish I was, though! I play professional ball.”

“Like baseball?” Souda asked, surprised.

Kuwata nodded. Yasuhiro tuned into their conversation and touched Kuwata’s shoulder proudly. 

“He’s crazy good, I don’t even bother predicting the outcome of his games anymore,” Hagakure boasted.

Fujisaki looked around and picked up a full can of beer someone had left on top of a tin trashcan. They held it out to Kuwata.

“How far can you throw this?”

Kuwata took the can and tossed it up in the air to test the weight, “Hmm, probably to the back of the alley?”

Fourth Dimension Oddities was at the entrance of a long alleyway which ended in darkness against a brick wall. It was far enough that the streetlight they were standing under couldn’t carry its light to the end of it.

Kuwata got ready to throw the can, “You might wanna stand to the side.”

No one wanted to find out the consequence of not doing as he asked, so everyone stepped to the side. Kuwata tossed the can into the air once before winding up. He had the perfect form of a professional pitcher, as he lifted his leg slightly before leading with it through the throw. The can throttled out of his hand and down the alley, hitting the back wall with a loud whack and bursting open.

“Holy shit! That was faster than my fuckin’ car, bro!” Souda said incredulously.

Kuwata stretched his shoulder by swinging his arm in a circle and smiled at Souda, “Yeah, I think my average is something like 145 kilos per hour?”

There was a murmur of ‘wow’s. Miu looked at Souda with her slightly-deranged ‘I-just-had-an-idea’ look that made her costume even more fitting. That look on her face always made Souda a little nervous; he pawed for his cigarettes and pulled them out of his pocket.

“We need to put a 3D printer inside of Kiibo.”

“Why?” he asked, walking away from the group slightly before procuring a cancer stick and lighting it.

“Because I wanted to see how fast he can throw and there’s nothing else to fuckin’ throw, duh!” she said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Hinata chuckled, “You can make an experiment out of anything, huh Miu?”

Miu put her arm around Hinata and made circles over his shoulder with her finger, “Oh yeah, I can experiment with  _ anything _ .”

Akamatsu cracked up. Souda thought Miu was very lucky to have a girlfriend with such a similar sense of humor, otherwise, she’d probably be in hot water all the time. Then, Souda realized that Gundham wasn’t around them anymore. He walked out to the sidewalk and looked both ways, but couldn’t see him. When he turned around, Sonia was looking at him with a mix of confusion and concern.

“Where’s Gundham?” he asked, feeling nerves crawl up his spine.

“Not far,” Hagakure responded casually, not even looking around. 

Sonia turned around futilely; he was nowhere to be seen.

“Gundham?” she called out.

There was a rustling noise at the back of the alley which piqued everyone’s attention. Souda's hand began to tremble and he couldn’t even smoke his cigarette.

“Kiibo, light it up,” Miu said, eerily serious.

Kiibo’s eyes became two floodlights shining down the alley. Souda sighed with relief as Gundham immediately became visible, but only the back of him. He was stooped down, touching something in front of him.

“Told you,” Hagakure responded smugly.

“Gundham, y’okay?” Souda asked hesitantly.

He put his hands on Kiibo’s shoulders and walked slowly behind him. Gundham rose slowly, which looked especially creepy in his long cloak. Souda paused, making Kiibo stop walking. Gundham turned around and revealed what it was that he had been touching.

In Gundham’s arms was a fat raccoon. Sonia gasped with sheer joy.

“A tanuki!” she gasped, walking up to it and introducing her hand so it wouldn’t run away as she approached.

“Ah, but behold, this is not a tanuki, though one could hazard to infer that the shape-shifting magicks which the tanuki are known to possess could be the veil which has confused your optical perspective. This, She-Cat, is a raccoon, a visually similar species which is nonetheless invasive to this island. Despite this, they are rather appealing, are they not?”

“A raccoon disguise would be rather underwhelming,” Sonia observed.

Souda was too exasperated by the display and just decided to finish his cigarette, “S’cute, babe.”

Miu blinked at him, “So you walked away to pet a raccoon?”

Gundham shrugged and let the animal gently back down onto the ground as Sonia procured some hand sanitizer from her utility belt and squirted some into her’s and Gundham’s hands.

“There was an inherent magnetism calling out to me from this area.”

“The raccoon  _ told  _ you to come to it?” Miu clarified, mystified.

“Hm, foolish mortal. Not the raccoon, but the mystical forces which surround raccoon-kind.”

Gundham looked so resolute and confident with that response that Souda had to fight to hold back the laughter that was bubbling up in him. Miu did it for him, however, which made Gundham shoot her a look as he hid his mouth and nose with the edge of his collar. 

Sonia chuckled and pinched his cheek, “Come now, do not pout. It is not becoming of a prince of ice and darkness.”

Miu nudged Souda, “He’s gonna ‘be coming’ tonight if you have anything to say about it, huh?”

Gundham blushed and looked away from the group of them. Souda tapped out his cigarette and put the butt back into the pack to toss at the end of the night. Souda rolled his eyes and walked over to stand next to Gundham, wrapping his arm around his waist.

“Come on, Miu, don’t go bein’ nasty.”

Miu shrugged, “Don’t hate on a fish for swimming, Itchy boy.”

Fujisaki spun on their heel impatiently, “Can we get to the haunted house?”

Sonia clapped her hands, “Ooh! I somehow forgot about that! Yes, it should be nearby. Follow me, everyone!”

Miu leaned over and murmured to Kiibo, “Start a route there just in case.”

He nodded, calibrating a path there covertly and following in Sonia’s lead. Souda walked with Gundham, trying to stay cool, but he clenched his hand into the fabric of Gundham’s shirt. Gundham shifted his cloak so it was covering Souda as well. 

“Are you afeared of the horrors which await us?” Gundham asked in a way that was probably supposed to be soothing.

Souda chuckled nervously, “Maybe a little.”

“Do not fret, for you have The Lord of Shadow’s devotion. There is not any phantasmal force which can harm you whilst I am in your midst.”

“I’m not afraid of real ghosts, Gundham,” he gulped, “Fer now. I just don’t like it when people go poppin’ out of the dark at me.”

Gundham chuckled, “Ah, this house of horrors inhabits significantly superior conjurors of fear than just  _ any _ haunt. They do not rely on cheap tactics such as what the casual goer might refer to as a ‘jump-scare.’”

Souda shivered, “That’s not makin’ me feel better.”

Gundham rubbed his arm, “Hm, there are certainly ways in which that can be remedied.”

Souda smirked, his heart fluttering. He looked up at Gundham as they walked. Gundham looked down at him and smiled, flashing his fangs. He really did look hot with those things; not that he wasn’t already hot on his own. 

By the time they got there, the haunted house had a line wrapping the building, waiting to purchase tickets. Miu groaned, slumping dramatically as she walked.

“Soniaaaa,” she complained, “I can’t wait around in this line! My buzz is already wearing off…”

Sonia smirked and reached into the large pocket on her utility belt. She pulled out a stack of tickets.

“Do not fret, Miu. As you might say, I do not  _ do  _ will-call.”

She passed out the tickets to each person but found herself with only one left when she reached Kiibo. She gasped, surprised by her own negligence. Kiibo chuckled and stuck his hand out.

“Hand it to me, I’ll make a copy.”

Sonia gave Kibbo the ticket, which he looked over on both sides before handing it back to her. After a few moments, he feigned a cough and opened his mouth. He stuck out his fiber-optic, silver tongue which had a replica of the tickets for the haunted house. 

Sonia laughed incredulously, “You enabled him to commit piracy?!”

Oowada stuck out his hand for Fujisaki to low-five. Souda and Miu both shrugged slyly. Akamatsu giggled. 

“Are we just going to ignore the fact that it comes out of his mouth?”

“Hey, it’s funny,” Souda defended, walking along with the group to get into the short line waiting to get into the building. 

There was dissonant, creepy music playing from the loudspeakers affixed to the outside of the building. Souda shivered as a woman’s screech echoed out from inside and lingered in the street. People laughed excitedly at that, but Souda just wanted it to get over as soon as possible. Gundham kept Souda close to him, however, and Souda felt rather comforted by the thin barrier of Gundham’s cloak over his shoulders. Kuwata playfully nudged Souda’s arm, which made him jump a little too hard. Kuwata laughed.

“Woah there, don’t be so nervous! Here,” he covertly handed Souda a silver flask.

Souda sighed and smiled weakly at him. He unscrewed the cap and took a long drink of the whisky that was sloshing inside. It was pretty good stuff. He offered it up to Gundham, but he shook his head politely. 

“Thanks, bro,” he sighed, handing the flask back to the redhead. 

Kuwata offered it to Hagakure, who shook his head as well.

“I’ll take it easy for now. It’s gonna be a long night,” he said sagely.

Kuwata rolled his eyes and took a swig before pocketing the flask, “You’re so sure, huh?”

“Always am, red,” he said affectionately before pressing a kiss into Kuwata’s hair.

The line shortened considerably. The attendant, who was dressed as a bumblebee, greeted Sonia and Kiibo as they approached.

“Just the two of you?”

“Actually, it will be all of us,” Sonia replied, gesturing to the group behind her. 

Oowada, Hinata, and Fujisaki waved to indicate themselves as the last ones in the “us” she’d been referring to. The attendant counted them off, clicking a device in her hand. She unclipped the rope blocking them off and nodded to Sonia.

“You’re all set! Have a good time. Remember, touching the actors will result in immediate ejection from the haunted house. Follow the glowing footprints!” she instructed as they all made their way in. 

The lot of them were separated off into smaller groups with Sonia and Kiibo in the front, Miu and Akamatsu behind them, Souda and Gundham after that, Kuwata and Hagakure following, then the trio of Fujisaki, Hinata, and Oowada bringing up the rear. They were directed up a long escalator which led up into the darkness. Souda wrapped his arms around Gundham’s elbow and bicep as they rode to the upper floor. 

Attendants in all black clothes made them wait a moment to stagger the group. Souda’s heart pounded hard as he heard Sonia shriek, and then laugh. A few moments later, Miu cursed loudly as Akamatsu yelled. The attendant signaled for Souda and Gundham to continue forward, but Souda didn’t budge. He felt frozen to the spot.

Gundham leaned down and murmured to him, “We can await the party’s arrival outdoors if you wish.”

Souda gulped and shook his head, knowing that he’d be laughed at the entire night for running away from a building full of actors, “No, no. Let’s just go.”

He took the first step forward and tried to keep himself from shaking. The large room was lined with dim, pale green light and two shallow ponds on either side. There was steamy fog obscuring whatever was moving around in there even more so than the darkness was already confusing his sight. Damn, he probably needed a new prescription with how little he wore his glasses.

Then, something bubbled in the murk alongside the alley. Souda looked at where the sound was coming from on the left, but couldn’t spot anything. Then, something splashed on his right. Slowly, he turned to look at it. He was met with the sight of an unnaturally tall, slimy-looking creature that was dripping in seaweed and stagnant water. It leaned closed to him and Souda let out a yelp and practically dragged Gundham through as he speed-walked out of there. More of the creatures emerged from the ponds, some of them reaching out. Souda was absolutely spooked and went as fast as he could without breaking into a run. He could hear Gundham snickering and wanted to find it as funny as he did, but couldn’t get there.

Once they’d got out of the swamp room, they arrived on the landing of an iron staircase with dim, flickering lights barely lighting the way down. On each step were a set of the glowing footprints that were supposed to help guide them when the dark got too confusing. Gundham took the initiative of the first step and lead them down the stairs. As they walked, people knocked on the thin walls surrounding them, making Souda speed up. He felt somewhat bad for dragging Gundham around, but he was in full flight mode at that point.

It wasn’t too freaky, considering what they’d entered next. There were flickering lights, red LEDs lining the floor, and people screaming everywhere. It was a torture chamber with bodies flayed and chained onto tables, people being beaten and experimented upon, and a metric ton of fake blood everywhere. The props were so realistic it was making Souda’s stomach turn. As they walked, people begged for help, some of them even leaping out in front of their feet only to be dragged away by their torturers. A woman, who was strapped to a wall, had been given a fake pregnant belly, which had been ripped open. She screamed in an exceedingly real way as the torturer held a plastic baby prop upside down by its. She begged for someone to save her baby; to let her die but to at least take the baby. Souda felt sick. At the end were two men holding huge replica axes in front of the door. For some reason, Souda thought they wouldn’t let them out. However, they stepped to the sides and allowed him and Gundham to pass.

The next staircase they got to had brighter lighting, as well as a checkerboard paint job on the walls. Souda could hear something a little too pleasant coming from the bottom floor. It was circus music.

“Oh, c’mon, why did they have to go on bringing out  _ clowns _ ?!” Souda whispered.

Gundham nodded, “I agree, the noble profession of clownery has been perverted by the industrial conglomerate of horror films and novels.”

That’s not where Souda had been going with that, but it was too late to discuss it any further. A girl clown in a tattered skirt holding a barbed wire-wrapped bat in her hand smiled uncannily at the two of them. She swung the bat leisurely and gave them both a come-hither finger, giggling madly. Souda shook his head, cowering into Gundham’s side. She nodded, insisting they come to her. Souda gulped, knowing there was nowhere to go but forward. As they continued toward her, she cackled and swung the bat, forcing them both to duck as she disappeared into the darkness near the walls. 

They continued forward without incident. That is until the sound of a chainsaw revving was heard behind them. A huge, burly man in a tattered clown singlet ran at them, laughing a high and horrifying laugh. Souda screamed and actually ran, pulling Gundha with him. Horror clowns emerged from the darkness, holding various weapons and sprinting after them as they chased and taunted them. Souda could hear the chainsaw clown gaining on them. He could practically feel it on the back of his neck. He ran out of the room without looking back until he was in the safety of the lobby. 

When he got there, the ladies and Kiibo were laughing at him. Souda shot them a glare and leaned on his knees, panting. Gundham hid his face with the cloak, trying not to show how hard he was laughing. 

“Shit, Itchy, we thought you were really getting cut up in there!” Miu howled, leaning on Akamatsu.

Sonia wiped her eyes, “Oh, Kazuichi, you should consider auditioning for the torture chamber next year!”

After catching his breath, Souda sat up and rubbed the back of his neck. His face was hot with embarrassment.

“I need a cigarette,” he muttered.

Kuwata and Hagakure walked out as Kazuichi made his way to the exit.

“Was that Kazuichi screaming like that?” Kuwata asked with a chuckle.

That sent the lot of them back into hysterics. Souda walked back out into the cool night air. The ticket line hadn’t got much shorter, while the line to get in had only got longer. He walked around the building to find where the rest of the smokers were congregating. He spotted a guy tossing his used filter into the trash and walking back to the lines. Souda took his spot and lit up, watching as throngs of people walked by. 

The nicotine calmed him down. He felt kind of stupid for letting something so fake freak him out, but he couldn’t help where his reactions took him sometimes. He breathed out a stream of smoke and looked at all of the costumes passing him. 

“Greetings, handsome stranger,” said Gundham’s low voice as he approached. 

Souda breathed out a stream of smoke away from him and nodded toward him in greeting. Gundham leaned against the opposite wall, his cloak wrapped around him.

“I apologize for finding humor in your torment, it was most insensitive,” Gundham said a touch more seriously. 

Gundham smirked and walked toward him, putting one hand on the wall by his head. Souda nearly melted.

“Y’gonna make it up to me?” Souda murmured.

Gundham dragged a finger down the front of Souda’s jumpsuit, then held him by his chin. 

“There are a few visions of carnality that come to mind, perhaps that will enhance my apology.”

Souda placed his hand on the small of Gundham’s back, “Wanna go on and get outta here? We can get a drink n’leave.”

Gundham nodded and pressed a quick kiss to his temple and leaned against the wall as Souda tapped out and tossed the remainder of his cigarette. 

As they walked back into the lobby, Fujisaki led a somewhat nervous but mostly entertained Hinata as Oowada followed, looking bored. 

“Not your thing, Mondo?” inquired Akamatsu.

He shrugged, “I’ve seen worse.”

Miu clapped her hands, “Time for the bar!”

It was a rather agreeable decree. The group of them were only a short walk away from their bar of choice: Wauri. In fact, it was just a few storefronts down. Surprisingly, it wasn’t super packed inside of the punk bar that night. They were, however, hosting a Halloween party. The bartenders were dispensing bright green, luminescent liquor into cups, and handing them out. 

“Grab a table,” Oowada said, “Chihiro and I will get us all some of that slimy bullshit they’re servin’.”

Hinata and Souda pushed two tables together for them to all crowd around. Souda stood close to Gundham and looked around the bar. Something at the bar glinted in this corner of his eye. He focused in that direction and saw it was a silver tooth. It was the guy from earlier. Souda lifted an eyebrow. What were the odds that this nerdy dude would find them twice amongst all of the bars in Towa City’s downtown district? Fujisaki and Oowada showed up a few minutes later carrying a tray of the green drinks. Everyone looked at their cups suspiciously. Kiibo stuck his finger into the extra that Oowada had ordered for him.

“Inside of this drink is Midori liquor, lime juice, and clear rum. It appears a small amount of agar is what’s giving it the thickness.”

“Good enough fer me,” Souda said with a shrug before taking a long drink.

The rest of them followed suit. Hinata smacked his lips and nodded.

“Hey, it’s not bad. Pretty good, actually,” he assessed before finishing his drink, “Aw damn, that’s dangerous.”

Fujisaki nodded, “Yeah, that’s really tasty! Who wants more? I’m just gonna get the order in now.”

The tangy drink was rather refreshing. Looked up at Gundham, who just swirled the drink. He didn’t seem too keen on it. Souda stuck his hand out and Gundham passed it over, letting him knock it back. 

“I’m actually good. I think me n’ Gundham are gonna call it a night.”

Sonia looked at them with surprise, “Really? The night has practically just begun!”

Souda shrugged, “Yeah, I just kinda got a headache from all the scares at the haunted house.”

Miu finished her drink, “Well take Kiibo with you, then. His charging pad is at your place.”

Souda nodded, patting his pockets to make sure he wasn’t missing anything. He pulled out his wallet and offered Oowada some cash, but he shook his head.

“It’s on me, man. No big deal.”

Souda shrugged and put his cash away. 

“Later guys. It was good to meet’cha, Kazuichi,” Kuwata said.

“You too, bro. See ya’ soon. Bye guys!”

“Farewell, friends,” Gundham said gallantly.

“Goodnight, bro. I’ll be back later tonight,” Hinata said.

Sonia waved them off, “So long, boys, get home safely!”

Hagakure waved the suggestion with his hand, “They’re gonna be fine. I can see it.”

“Can you also see the raunchy cock-sucking that they’re running off to do, too?” Miu shot back.

Hagakure blushed as the rest of them laughed. Souda winked and waved Kiibo over.

“C’mon, Kiibo, let’s get goin’.”

Kiibo nodded and walked out with the two of them. He led the way, still excited to be out and about in the world. The closer they got to the platform, the thinner the crowd got.

“Y’have a good night, Kiibo?” Souda asked, projecting his voice up to him.

Kiibo walked backward so he could talk with them, flawlessly avoiding any obstacle behind him, “Oh, it was amazing! Humans are so interesting.”

Gundham grunted under his breath like he wanted to argue with that point but clearly thought better of it. They made their way to the train and back to Souda’s apartment in no time. The night was in full swing back in town, so it was plenty roomy in the train car. Kiibo paced up and down it, wanting to enjoy his time powered-up to the fullest. When they got back to the apartment, Kiibo hung behind for the first time all night.

“C’mon, Kiibo, don’t go makin’ me feel bad fer havin’ to power you down,” Souda said as he unlocked the door. He and Gundham pulled off their shoes on the landing as Kiibo shut the door and locked up. 

“Sorry, it’s just that it’s been so fun tonight!”

Gundham looked at Souda, “I am beginning to believe the seance was a success.”

Souda rolled his eyes and walked into the living room. He set his things down on the counter in the kitchen as Kiibo took a seat on the couch. 

“I will be removing this costume posthaste,” Gundham announced, making his way to the bathroom.

Souda nodded and turned to Kiibo, who was drumming his fingers on his knees, which made a sound that was sort of like musical spoon playing. His feet were already fastened into the charging pad. Souda walked over and leaned over him, his hand behind his neck. 

“G’night, Kiibo.”

“Goodnight. Thank you for taking me out toni—

Souda cringed as the powering down cut him off, like hanging up too soon on the phone. Kiibo’s eyes went to their charging display, a slowly blinking yellow light. Souda pushed him so he was leaning back against the couch. It would probably be a lot creepier for Hinata to show up at home to a dead-faced robot sitting straight up on his couch. Souda walked back to his room and removed his costume to change into a pair of boxers. He brushed his teeth as Gundham showered, enjoying the rare humming that floated into the rest of the bathroom. He’d probably be a pretty good singer if he tried. 

He walked back to his bedroom and his lamp, in which he had just replaced the normal white bulb with a red variety. It cast a blush all around the room, which was nice work for setting a mood. Souda leaned against his pillows and scrolled on his phone. When the water shut off and the door opened, he looked up and couldn’t help the dopey smile on his face.

Gundham walked in with a towel around his hips and his hair all tousled and damp. His face was without any makeup, save the stubborn remnants of eyeliner which didn’t come off all the way. Souda set down his phone and held his arms out to Gundham, full of adoration. Gundham smiled and walked over, setting his hands down on either side of Souda and leaning over him. Souda cupped his face, dragging his calloused thumbs over the fuzz of his stubble.

Gundham was the first to bridge the gap between them, kissing him deeply. It made Souda realize that he hadn’t kissed him all day. He parted his lips and rolled their tongues together. Gundham sighed and moved so he was straddling Souda. Souda smirked and put his hands on Gundham’s hips. Gundham grabbed his arms by the wrists and pinned them above Souda’s head as he grinded ever-so-slightly against him.

“Ooh, r’we finally gonna get a little rough?” Souda murmured into his lips, unable to hide his delight.

“Quiet,” Gundham demanded, his voice low and gravelly.

Souda giggled with elation and did as he was told. Gundham moved Souda’s wrists into one hand and used the other to stroke him over his underwear. Souda wiggled his hips, trying to get some friction as Gundham kissed and bit his neck. He panted as Gundham sucked a hickey onto his throat.

“Shit, babe,” Souda gasped.

Gundham moved his lips down his body, pausing to nip at his chest as he made his way. He pulled off Souda’s underwear and dragged his lips along the shaft. Souda groaned and moved to put his now-freed hands into Gundham’s hair, but they were caught and pinned to his sides as Gundham focused his attention on the head of Souda’s cock. Souda tried his damndest not to buck his hips into his mouth, but the effort grew more and more difficult and Gundham looked straight into his eyes, taking half of him into his mouth.

Gundham let one of his hands go to jerk him off as he sucked. Souda reached out and moved the wavy flop of hair out of Gundham’s face.

“Hands to yourself,” he said sternly before dragging his tongue to the tip and swirling around it.

“Or what?” Souda challenged.

Gundham looked at him, somewhat surprised. Then, he removed his hand and mouth. Souda whined and bucked his hips uselessly into the air. But Gundham didn’t seem to care much. He stood up and let the towel drop from around his hips as he leaned down and picked something up from the floor. He turned back to Souda and showed him what it was; Gundham’s belt. Souda practically stuck his tongue out and panted like a dog.

“What’re ya’ gonna do with it?” 

Gundham didn’t respond but folded the belt a few times before straddling him once more. Souda hummed with pleasure as Gundham’s cock lined up with his. 

“Your hands,” Gundham requested.

Souda knew where this was going. He grinned like a crazy person and put his arms above his head. Gundham wrapped the belt through the poles of the headboard, then around Souda’s wrists. Souda moved them around so that their restraining ability could be tested. Gundham nodded sagely and reached over to grab a hair-tie from Souda’s bedside table. As he pulled his hair back, Gundham leaned down and pressed a kiss to Souda’s cheekbone.

“Do not hesitate to make me aware of any discomfort you might experience,” he whispered. 

Souda nodded, pressing a kiss to his lips while his face was nearby. Gundham kissed him back, moving his tongue into Souda’s mouth as he touched himself. Souda strained against the belt, hands wanting to get in on the action. Gundham smirked into his lips before retreating and moving up to straddle Souda’s chest. He tapped Souda’s cheek with his cock.

“Mind the teeth,” he warned.

Souda nodded and opened up, sticking his tongue out. Gundham guided himself with his hand, leaning his arm against the wall to keep himself steady. Souda got to work as best as he could without much control of his upper body. He lapped and sucked at the head of Gundham’s cock, taking it in stride as Gundham slowly rocked his hips into his mouth. Gundham groaned, resting his forehead on his arm as he watched. Souda would do anything for that face he was making; his eyes half-closed and his lips parted. None of that usual prim and proper demeanor the rest of the world got to see. 

He rocked his hips faster, making Souda gag now and again. Gundham held his head steady by the hair, breathing hard as tears formed in Souda’s eyes. Souda coughed as Gundham moved out of his mouth, a trail of spit breaking onto his chin. Souda smirked as Gundham cursed under his breath. He moved his leg so he could stand up again. 

“Have you acquired any lubricant?”

Souda nodded and gestured to his bedside table with his chin, “Yeah, I went to that one place y’told me to.”

Gundham nodded and rifled through the drawer.

“Awkward as hell, too. I dunno how you just go on goin’ in there without gettin’ nervous.”

Gundham chuckled but didn’t respond. He found the lube bottle and rolled it in his hands to warm it up. Souda chewed his bottom lip and spread his legs, but Gundham sat back down on the bed between the space he’d just made. Gundham slung his legs over Souda’s thighs, blushing. He squirted the lube onto his hand, adjusted his positioning so that Souda had a decent view, and began fingering himself.

“Oh, Gundham, that’s just cruel…” Souda breathed, squirming against the belt.

Gundham worked in a second finger, breathing raggedly, “Such are my intentions.”

Souda wanted to touch him so badly. He oscillated between feeling like the luckiest man alive, watching Gundham Tanaka, the stoic ‘Lord of Ice and Darkness’ get so dirty for him, to feeling deeply frustrated by the fact that he couldn’t even participate. He whined as Gundham moaned, curling his fingers inside of himself.

“Is there something which you desire?” Gundham inquired.

Souda sighed, “C’mon babe, don’t make me beg.”

“Oh, but that is precisely what I want,” he said, taking his fingers out of himself and pouring more lube onto his hand.

He moved to straddle Souda’s thighs, slowly pumping him with his slicked hand. Souda stared at him stubbornly, but the smug little grin on his face didn’t fade. He rolled his eyes and looked away from him.

“CanIpleasefuckyou?” he muttered.

Gundham leaned over and grabbed his chin with his clean hand, forcing him to look into his eyes.

“I must be stricken with a curse of temporary deafness, for I cannot hear you.”

Souda chewed his lip, “ _ Please _ , can I fuck you?”

Gundham kissed him quickly, “Only because you are so polite.”

It seemed like Gundham didn’t want to wait much longer either. Still leaning over Souda, he lowered himself onto his cock, shuttering as it entered him. Souda groaned, wishing so bad that he could touch him. Gundham chewed his lower lip as he slowly took all of Souda inside him until he was sitting properly on his lap.

“Oh,  _ gods _ , Kazuichi…”

Souda moaned when he adjusted his hip, “Y’feel so fuckin’ good.”

Gundham laughed breathily, swiping his hand over Souda’s chest to get the little bit of excess lube off of his hands. After a minute or so of adjusting, Gundham rolled his hips against him, eventually gathering a slow, steady pace. It was his first time being inside of Gundham and Souda knew he was even more hooked than before. He moaned hard when Gundham began to rise and fall on his cock, riding him. Gundham leaned down and buried his face in Souda’s neck, whimpering. Fucking  _ whimpering _ . Souda was in ecstasy. He was also incredibly close to cumming.

“Fuck, Gundham, m’almost there,” he groaned.

Gundham sat back up, rolling his hips hard against him. He stroked himself and moved his other hand up to place his hand on Souda’s throat.

“Do it, please, do it,” Souda begged.

Gundham applied slight pressure to the sides of Souda’s neck, constricting his breathing. Souda shut his eyes and smiled blissfully. He could barely breathe, so vocalizing his pleasure wasn’t much of an option. As Gundham rode him like a prized pony, Souda let out wheezing breaths. Gundham’s pace got sloppier, more sporadic as he neared completion. His moaning was of a higher tone than usual, almost effeminate as he seemingly tried to get Souda deeper inside of him. 

Souda nodded, his only way to signify the fact that he was about to cum. Gundham, somewhat begrudgingly, lifted off of Souda and took both of their cocks into his hand, still keeping one firmly around Souda’s throat. It made for one of the most intense orgasms he’d ever had. Gundham moaned hard, following him shortly after and painting Souda’s torso with yet more cum.

Gundham’s grip relaxed and Souda panted hard, the smile still on his face. Gundham cupped his cheek and pressed a slow, lazy kiss to his lips. He reached up and undid the belt. Souda immediately hugged him close, raking his fingers through Gundham’s partially damp hair. “Thanks, babe,” Souda whispered.

Gundham smiled into his lips and gave him another quick peck before climbing off of him to get something to clean up with. Souda chuckled at the wobbly walk that he employed as he stretched his dead arms.

“Damn, man, that belt is no joke.”

Gundham chuckled and wiped off Souda’s torso with the towel he’d been using. He tossed it to the ground and took Souda’s wrists gingerly into his hands before pressing sweet kisses to the red marks that had shown up. Souda wondered how he’d got so lucky. He reached out and pulled Gundham so that he was lying on the bed next to him. That same feeling came to him again; those three words catching in his throat. He didn’t want to scare him away after something so perfect, so he just brought Gundham in to hold him to his chest. He didn’t know how he’d ever let him go; he decided he never would. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a halloween chapter! let me just start by saying how sorry i am that this took so long to get out to you guys! I hate making you all wait more than a month TT^TT either way, here y'go! and just in time for the holiday itself. I'm gonna try to get onto a more regular schedule, given that there's some real plot stuff going on from here on our (not so many of these filler-episode kind of chapters i like to write so much). thank you all for your support and remember, I'm gonna finish this no matter how long it takes! much love <333333


	8. Bluntforceheadtrauma

“Yeah, I just got to the parking garage. Miu came with Professor Ibadashi, so I gotta find ‘em.”

Gundham’s voice responded to Souda over the speakers of his car, thanks to the BlueTooth connection. “Ah, I suppose the time has come for the exposition of automatons. Sonia has been pulling tarot cards this morning, they signify an eventful outing.”

Souda smirked, “Tell her I say thanks. Well, I gotta go. Are y’gonna be busy when I’m done”

“I do not believe so. I am open to arranging something if that was your intention.”

“Fer sure. Call ya later, ‘kay babe?” he said as he pulled back his stubborn mass of hair into a ponytail, leaving his little braid out to dangle by his face.

“Understood, my dear. Until then.”

With that, they hung up and Souda hopped out of his car. He tucked his white button-up into his black slacks, making sure to tuck his cigarettes and wallet into his back pockets. Souda looked around for the college van, but couldn’t see it anywhere. He looked at his phone and saw a text from Miu telling him that they’d parked in the loading zone behind the building. Souda sighed, knowing he’d have to make his way to wherever they were alone. He walked down to the ground floor and out of the parking structure. The conference building was right next to the structure, so Souda took a left around the nearest side of it and walked down a small alley around the back. 

There was a small parking lot behind the building where Souda could see Ibadashi backing in the van. He heard a whistle and looked in the direction it was coming from to see Miu waving at him. She was wearing a sophisticated, knee-length light pink dress with a turtleneck collar under her lab coat as she held Souda’s in her arms. Souda walked over to her.

“Where’s Kiibo?” he asked.

“Oh, well good-fucking-afternoon to you too,” she snapped, tossing him the thin, white coat.

Souda chuckled, catching the coat and sliding it on, “Hi Miu, how’s it goin’?”

“Not bad! Kaede gave me her lucky earrings, see?” Miu moved her hair strawberry blonde to show off the simplistic pair of golden hoops, one dangling with a bass clef and the other dangling a treble clef, “She says it helps the concerts from goin’ tits-up. There's a shit-ton of people inside there, I figured we need all the luck we can get.”

Souda gulped and reached for his cigarettes. He procured the box and shook it at Miu, wordlessly asking if they had enough time for him to smoke. She nodded and leaned against the brick wall. Souda lit up and took a drag, looking around the area and seeing many other STEM-types milling about and getting things ready for the expo. 

“Is he already inside?” Souda asked.

Miu nodded, “Nah, Iba-douche-i said we needed to wait so you could help him lug the crate in there. He and I already got all the registration done, though. He’s holding on to our passes.”

Souda laughed at the nickname, “Damn, did he piss ya off to get a name like that?”

Miu smirked, “Not really, it’s just the best I could come up with. Not bad though, huh?”

Souda blew out a stream of smoke and nodded in agreement. A few feet away, some tech dudes murmured anxiously as they nursed their cigs down to the filter. Thank goodness Miu had enough self-esteem and confidence for two people, especially in professional settings. Ibadashi walked over to them but stood a little distance away due to Souda’s smoking.

“Hello, Kazuichi, how are you doing?”

“Doin’ alright, Professor. You?”

Ibadashi clapped his hands, “Ah, I’m doing just splendid! I’ve always wanted to have the honor of presenting at the Towa City Science and Technology Exposition! You see, I’ve attended every year since the convention began ten years ago, but this is the first that I’ve had the pleasure of being apart of the show.”

Souda finished his cigarette and tapped it out, “Well, it’s all thanks t’you that we got booked. Ready?”

Ibadashi nodded and the three of them started back to the van. Souda grabbed a nearby hand-truck that had a long enough platform for the crate and wheeled it along with them. Ibadashi opened the trunk and helped Souda keep it steady while he lifted it onto the platform. Miu smirked at Souda.

“Stronger than you look, Itchy.”

Souda flexed dramatically, “C’mon, Miu, don’t go kiddin’ yerself!”

Miu frowned at him before jabbed her fingers hard into his armpit, making Souda yelp and hunch over. She laughed and pushed the cart and crate alongside Ibadashi. Souda rolled his eyes and shut the doors before walking in front of them to clear their way. After pushing open the swinging double doors for them, Souda looked around the convention center and immediately felt intimidated. There were hundreds of vendors and displays creating a labyrinth from wall to wall. 

“Walk straight, then go left,” Ibadashi called up to him. 

Souda nodded, doing as he was instructed. He walked along and saw a plethora of gaming technology. The convention must have been sectioned off by a sort of theme. Would there be more robots that they’d be compared to? 

When he rounded the corner, Ibadashi called to him again, “Just walk to the very end, we are on the corner.”

As they approached, Souda discovered that they were indeed in a section surrounded by other robots, but they were totally unlike Kiibo. They were mostly industrial, mechanical machines made to make some sort of task more efficient. There were also a few robots built for homes that vacuumed, played music, and looked up things on the internet. Nothing was like Kiibo. That was a somewhat soothing fact. 

Once the three of them got to the booth, they immediately got to setting things up. Ibadashi decorated sparsely as Miu set up the charging ports and computers. Souda got to work on opening the crate with a power drill. The sound drew some attention from the people around, which meant that there were several eyes on Kiibo when he was removed from the crate. Other engineers whispered and murmured to each other, staring them down. 

Souda set the drill down and put his arms underneath Kiibo’s, hugging his cold, slack body to his chest and lugging him over to the charging port. Miu counted down and Souda lifted his feet onto the charging pad. Miu set up a pole behind Kiibo, which had a metal brace and locked around his chest and supported his arms. Once he was charging, they walked over to their respective laptops and logged in. Ibadashi handed them their admittance lanyards and walked away to find them some tea. 

“Do you see everyone looking?” Miu whispered to him, not looking up.

Souda quickly darted his eyes around and looked back down at his screen, “Yeah, think they’re jealous.”

“Definitely. Their envy is making my nipples hard.”

“Agh! Miu, don’t go bein’ all nasty.”

Miu kicked him underneath the fold-out table. Souda couldn’t help but snicker. He started feeling giddy about the way people paused just to look at their creation. Soon enough, Ibadashi was back with tea and a sleeve of cookies. 

“I’ve heard at least  _ five  _ people talking about Kiibo on my way back. Is it too early to say we’re a hit?”

“Never too early, Professor,” Miu said proudly.

“Well, is it too early to power him up, then?”

Miu nodded, “Good idea, let’s wake him up.”

She sipped her tea from the disposable paper cup and pushed the button on the back of his neck. Immediately, Kiibo blinked awake.

“Hello! Am I trapped in here forever?” he asked, flapping his arms in the metal braces.

Miu chuckled and undid the clasps, setting him free. Kiibo walked off of the charging pad and looked all around. He spotted the crate and pointed at it. 

“Should I move that?”

Miu nodded, “Sure, set it down.”

Kiibo easily and gently moved the large wooden crate as though it were a pillow. The other engineers murmured even more fervently. Souda and Miu smiled mischievously at each other. Kiibo took a look around the room to absorb his situation. It took him a second or two, but Kiibo reported what he found.

“Ah, we’re at a convention? And all of these around me… they’re robots too?” 

“Exactly right, Kiibo, well done,” Ibadashi praised.

Souda finished bringing up Kiibo’s diagnostic program and turned to look at him.

“Okay, do your arms,” Souda requested.

Kiibo moved his arms in large circles, displaying his range of movement.

“Head. Take it off, too.”

Kiibo circled his neck before putting his hands over his ears, quickly twisting his head and pulling it off. Souda made sure that the program detected the change. He wasn’t satisfied with the response time and put his hand out to take the head from Kiibo.

“Go through the rest of it,” Souda instructed.

Given that Kiibo’s body parts were able to function independently, he still looked curiously around the room as Souda inspected and tinkered inside of his head. Once he was satisfied with the quick modification, Souda gave Kiibo’s body back the head just as a small group of businesspeople walked over.

“Excuse me,” said the shorter man in the group, “Is that a real robot?”

Souda looked at Kiibo, who was screwing his head back on, then back at the man.

“Yup, s’real alright!” he responded.

Miu stepped in, “You’re looking at K1-B0, one of the only robots of his kind. There’s nothing like him when it comes to speed, strength, smarts, and especially AI.”

“Is that so?” one of the women asked curiously.

Miu nodded, “Yup, ask him anything.”

The woman tapped her chin thoughtfully, “Hmm… What happens to humans after they die?”

Souda blinked at the woman, wondering what came over her to ask such a morbid question. Miu looked over at Kiibo, who considered the question.

“Well, in a literal sense, humans will inevitably cease to live and your bodies will undergo decomposition. Like other organic lifeforms, the elements in your bodies will return to the soil to fertilize plant matter for future lifeforms to feed upon so they can breed someday. The circle of life. I know you’re familiar with the concept, so I know that wasn’t exactly what you were asking.

“The truth is, I’m no more qualified to answer that question than you are. I’m sorry if that’s a disappointing response, but it’s true. You see, the concept of an inherent human essence — what some might call a soul — is something that’s not always agreed upon or experienced across all of humanity. I believe the answer is hard to find because it’s so subjective. On top of that, I don’t have the perspective to defend any sort of way of thinking about the matter. I’m a robot, as you can see. Sometimes I do wonder, though, what it would be like.”

Souda couldn’t begin to think of where he would’ve come up with a response like that. The woman seemed surprised by the concise, natural way Kiibo spoke. The shorter man spoke up again.

“Excuse me, you  _ wonder _ ? Isn’t that just plainly false?”

Kiibo smiled good-naturedly, “Ah, I was too literal. I can’t really “wonder,” but sometimes a “thought” so-to-speak, will occur to me over and over. I am always examining and considering humans, I think my curiosity comes from the exposure in some part.”

The group just stared at him in awe, like he was simultaneously the most fascinating and horrifying thing they’d ever seen. 

“He’s incredible,” one of the business people breathed. 

“I’ve never seen anything like this before in my life,” the shorter man gaped.

Miu smiled proudly, “Tell your friends. And your boss!”

Some of them chuckled good-naturedly. The shorter man handed Souda a business card and walked away. He was shocked; why had the man given the card to him and not the woman who had been pitching to him for the last few minutes? Miu seemed to notice too, but she couldn’t dwell on it as yet another round of people came up to have different aspects of Kiibo’s personality displayed to them.

Before long, it was clear that Kiibo was quickly becoming the buzz of the convention, as people seemed to walk up as though they’d been looking all around. Some people stopped by just to drop off their cards and run off. More times than not, people would begin by talking to Souda even though he was sitting down, diligently running diagnostics while Miu stood, ready and eager to lead the presentation. After an hour, Souda had just taken to not dignifying them with a response and just looking at Miu, which she seemed to appreciate. 

Then, some gossip began being spread around the convention hall. There was word that a very important woman was wandering the kiosks in search of a certain white-haired robot. 

“They’re saying she represents the government,” Ibadashi reported excitedly as he finished the third tea run in four hours.

They couldn’t step away even if they wanted to, the two of them were so swamped with guests. Souda took the cup from Ibadashi, the rim of it sweaty and sweet from a few rounds of sweetener. He took a drink to soothe his hammering heart. Something about the idea of a government official tracking him down made him nervous. He decided to just think about Gundham, who’d be in his arms in just a couple more hours. For a moment, he calmed down. 

It was interrupted, though, by the voices in the booths nearby suddenly amplifying, the hushing as they all watched down past the side of the corner where Souda could see. Miu straightened her coat. Ibadashi fixed his hair. Souda took a long drink of the warm tea until it almost burned him. 

A very serious-looking, dark-haired woman wearing a navy pantsuit turned the corner. As she did, the rush in her gait was slowed. She looked around their booth for only a moment before her eyes fixed on Kiibo. She then looked at Miu and bowed cordially.

“Greetings, is this your creation?”

Miu nodded, her face flushing with pride as the woman addressed her first, “Y-Yes, I’m Miu Iruma, the lead engineer on the project. This is my colleague, Kazuichi Souda —

Souda bowed his head meekly.

“— this is our project supervisor, Professor Ibadashi. And this is K1-B0.”

Kiibo bowed to her politely. She smiled at him.

“My, it really is incredible to see. The gossip hardly compares. And you say that this is also a model with combat capabilities, correct?” the woman asked.

Miu nodded. The woman raised her eyebrow, and Miu knew exactly what she wanted to see. Miu turned to Kiibo. 

“Show off the guns,” she requested. 

Kiibo stuck out both of his arms, which seamlessly converted into two plasma rays.

“He has no plasma in him right now,” Miu informed her placatingly.

But the woman didn’t appear the least bit intimidated. In fact, her face split into a smile. 

“Again, incredible.”

She reached into the pocket of her blazer and procured a business card. She also pulled out a pen and wrote a few things on the back before handing it off to Miu.

“I am a representative of Japan’s Minister of Defense. He already cleared a space in his schedule two weeks from now if I was impressed and, needless to say, I am. Call the number on the back to confirm with me by Tuesday, okay? All of my contact info is there. Be in touch?”

Miu nodded, “Yes, thank you!”

Kiibo retracted the weapons after the woman walked away. Ibadashi and Miu surrounded the card, watching it as though it would disappear from her hands at any moment. Souda watched the woman as she walked down the path and out of the convention center without stopping to even glance anywhere else. He felt like he was on top of the world. Once she was safely out of sight. He turned around and brought the three of them into a group hug. Ibadashi laughed and patted his back gingerly. Miu groaned.

“Ugh, Itchy, you  _ stink _ .”

Souda rolled his eyes, “I showered today, so I know yer lyin’.”

He let them go and Miu dramatically rubbed her nose. Ibadashi and Kiibo shared a laugh at that. Souda covertly sniffed his shirt. He had no clue what she was talking about. He didn’t care, anyhow. The entire day had been a series of wins, one after another. He could float up to the ceiling. 

The last two hours were a breeze. In fact, they were some of the last people to stick around in the entire robotics block since they were in high demand. All in all, they had collected 25 business cards and set up five meetings, one of which was very, very important. They all practically kissed Kiibo goodnight before putting him back in the crate and bolting it up. Souda helped pack him back into the van, gave his lab coat back, and wished Miu and Ibadashi a good evening. 

“Well done, you two. I’ve never been more proud of a pair of students in my career. You’ve truly defined my experience so far as an educator.”

Miu playfully slapped Ibadashi on the back, “Oh c’mon, professor, don’t butter us up! We’ll get big heads.”

He smiled sardonically at her, “I don’t think that would be a new development.”

Souda and Miu widened their eyes at the rare display of humor from their professor. The three of them shared a laugh before Souda sent them on their way. Souda lit up a cigarette and smoked it quickly as he walked back to his car in the parking garage next door. He needed something to come off of the adrenaline from the day. He tossed the butt in a trash receptacle before jogging up the stairs. 

When he got to his car, Souda opened his back door to put his laptop in the backseat. 

Then, he heard a loud engine rev inside of the garage, followed by the distinct sound of tires squealing on smooth concrete just behind him. Souda turned to look but was suddenly pushed against the wall with a hand on his chest. Something cold was pressed under his chin, behind his jawbone where the flesh was soft. 

Souda felt his body go numb from panic. His eyes darted around to find the assailant’s, which weren’t discernable underneath the black balaclava he was sporting. 

What Souda could see, though, was the glimmer of a silver tooth in the man’s mouth.

“I’ve got a switchblade under your chin right now. If you squeal, I’ll pull the lever and cut your fucking tongue out from underneath, got that?”

Souda nodded just barely, not wanting to accidentally trigger what he knew was a large knife, given the width of the handle. If this man so much as moved his finger, a blade would plunge through Souda’s mouth and possibly up into the base of his skull. His eyes filled with tears and he clenched his fists. The man looked down and pressed the handle further into his skin.

“Don’t get stupid. Put your hands in your pockets. If they come out, so does your tongue.”

Souda shoved his hands into his pockets, one of them clutching desperately to his phone. He could see other men emerging from other vehicles and approaching his car.

“Is it all unlocked?” the man with the knife asked.

Souda nodded just barely. The men opened the doors and began rifling through his belongings. 

“Where are the blueprints?”

Souda was confused, “The wh—

“Don’t fucking talk unless I fucking tell you to. The blueprints for the robot.”

Tears fell from Souda’s eyes then. Had it gotten to that point? What were they doing that some random thugs wanted to cut his tongue out in the parking garage? He started shaking and the man punched him in the stomach.

“Where the fuck are they? Speak.”

Souda coughed, “I don’t know! I’ve never had them, I swear.”

The handle pressed so hard into his skin that Souda could feel it push his tongue against the roof of his mouth. He could barely breathe, especially not with how hard he was crying then.

“There’s nothing here,” one of the men searching the car grumbled.

Two others nodded in agreement. The man holding the knife breathed hard out of his nose, disappointed. 

“Go back to your bikes and get out of here.”

They all walked away to make their escape. How had no one come to save him yet? What the fuck was going on? The man leaned close to his face as though he was going to say something, but seemed to hear movement in the stairwell. He pushed Souda away and retreated into his car before speeding away, but not before Souda could spot a strange sort of logo painted on the side of the door. 

Souda gasped for air, sliding down against the concrete wall between his car and the one next to it. He could feel a bruise forming in the spot where the knife had been pressed against his flesh. He heard two people talking, as well as their heels clicking on the concrete. They were walking up to the next floor. He thought about calling out to them and asking for help, but the men were already gone. What good would it do? His heart began to proud as the adrenaline left his body. 

“Fuck!” Souda yelled uncontrollably as he kicked one of his tires out of frustration.

Tears streamed down his face and his chest began to feel tight. He needed to get the fuck out of there. He needed to see Gundham. Souda sprung up from off of the floor, hurriedly gathered the loose papers they’d tossed out of his car, tossed them in his backseat, and sped away all without looking behind him even once.

Souda was petrified. He barely checked as he took turns or merged lanes, not wanting to look into the eyes of someone who was out to get him. He got onto the highway soon enough, speeding to Gundham’s loft. How long had that guy been trailing him? Since before Halloween, that was for sure. Who was he with? Was he at the convention? What did they want from Kiibo? Why  _ him _ ? Souda felt the tears coming again and bit down firmly on his lower lip. 

He couldn’t go to Gundham. Not like this. Not with someone potentially following him with the intention to harm him. No, he had to go somewhere that wasn’t just an emotional haven, but a physical one as well. He continued past the exit to Gundham’s side of town and drove out of Towa City. The sunset behind him as he made his way to the countryside, where the Kuzuryu Clan headquarters were.

Souda knew, like many others, where the headquarters were since the family hadn’t moved out of the estate in the last several decades. If whoever was trying to fuck with him was tailing him now, they would turn around once he started up the long hill of a driveway the Kuzuryus had. Till then, his thoughts kept circling back to this idea of blueprints that the men had mentioned. If there were any up-to-date blueprints, Miu had them, not him. His shaking hands reached for his pack of cigarettes and he pulled on out. Souda didn’t usually like to smoke in his car, but this felt like an essential exception. 

A little over an hour, Souda finally turned on the final road up to the Kuzuryu estate. No one had been tailing him as he thought, but he still couldn’t chance it. He drove all the way up to the gate, but before he could even reach out to touch the intercom buzzer, he saw people in dark clothing emerge from behind nearby trees, each with their hands hovering over holsters on their hips that were concealing some kind of large weapon. He threw his hands up in the air, already feeling exhausted from so much terror in one day. One of the people separated from the group to approach his car but kept their hand on their hip and they opened Souda’s car door. 

“What are you doing here?” he demanded.

Souda swallowed hard, “I-I know Fuyuhiko, j-just —

The man suddenly unclipped the holster and pointed the tip of his excessively large knife at his nose, “No one refers to the Young Master by his given name.”

“Ah, shit, no! J-Just call Peko! Peko Pekoyama! She’ll tell you everything. Please!” Souda begged, leaning away from the blade.

The man looked him up and down, considering him. He kept the blade pointed at him, but looked over the roof of the car to one of the other tree-people, signaling for them to call Pekoyama. Souda’s blood pounded in his ears, making him feel light-headed. 

In what seemed like an eternity later, the man was given another signal. He put the knife away and stepped back to lean down in a more friendly manner.

“Sorry about all the trouble. Protocol, y’know? Anyway, drive straight up and give the valet your keys, he’ll take your car down to the garage. Someone will be there to take you inside.”

Souda gulped and nodded, settling back into his car. He flinched as the man shut his car door for him. He drove up the lit pathway to the enormous manor, which looked especially impressive all lit up at night. Souda noticed how bright the stars were out in the country and wished he’d thought of a way to bring Gundham with him.

When he got up to the front, Souda hopped out of his car and shakily handed off his keys to the valet, who looked no more than sixteen. Souda couldn’t help but chuckle at that; that kid probably got tips worth half of his weekly pay. As the boy carefully drove the car down the driveway to the garage, Souda turned to see Pekoyama rushing out of the front door of the main house on the property. 

She was in her work uniform: an all-black ensemble of form-fitting pants and a button-down shirt with her silver hair braided. She was also wearing the sling of an enormous sword across her shoulder so the weapon peaked out from behind her. Souda almost assumed it was for decoration, but there was no way. She wasn’t the type. He hurried over to her, meeting her just as she opened up the small inner gate of the walkway. 

“Kazuichi,” she said, looking a bit concerned under her stony gaze, “I can’t say this is expected.”

He practically withered under her piercing scarlet gaze, “I’m sorry, Peko, I just need’ta talk to Fuyuhiko. Somethin’... Somethin’ really bad happened.”

Souda tears forming in his eyes again. Pekoyama reached out and touched his shoulder, slowly leading him to the door to take him inside.

“I can make that happen, but you have to tell me what happened first.”

Souda sighed and she paused in front of the tall, dark oak door of the main house, “Some guys fuckin’ mugged me after a Kiibo thing today for his blueprints. I think it was some kinda organized thing.”

Pekoyama’s eyes widened. She squeezed his shoulder in a way that was probably supposed to be comforting but mostly hurt. 

“Follow me,” she instructed before leading him away from the door and around the house

“Natsumi lives in this house now, but she’s hardly ever home so myself and a few other staff members take up the bottom floor rooms,” Pekoyama informed him, walking along a stone path around the house and through the gardens, Souda remembered sometimes sitting in, “Fuyuhiko lives in the back house where their grandfather used to. He should be free, I think.”

Souda smirked somewhat, “Don’t you mean ‘Young Master Fuyuhiko?’”

Pekoyama shook her head, “Oh, he hates when I do that. We’re around each other too many hours of our lives for me to waste time just referring to him. Besides, we both know he doesn’t like being… well…”

“Baby-fied?” Souda suggested.

She almost laughed at that, “Sure, that’s one way to put it.” 

They walked around the house and through the courtyard before taking the leftmost path toward the long house Souda always remembered people walking in and out of the few times he came over to the main estate rather than the house nearer to their school. They were never allowed to go near the house before, but now he was entering through the front door alongside Pekoyama. 

It was a modern, chic home decorated with black and white furniture. Souda was surprised to think the entire home was occupied by only one person. He and Pekoyama changed their shoes into a pair of house shoes before he followed her through the house to where he assumed were somewhat of a headquarters. 

“Wait here,” Pekoyama instructed before walking inside.

Moments later, Souda heard footsteps rush to the door as Kuzuryu opened the door. His face, ever expressive, was drawn with concern and surprise. 

“Kaz, bro, what the hell are you doing here?”

Souda sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, “Some dudes jumped me after a Kiibo expo downtown.”

Kuzuryu’s brows furrowed.

“He put a fuckin’ knife under my chin and said he was gonna go and c-cut out my tongue if I said anythin’. A-And I think they’d been watchin’ me for a while, cause the dude was hidin’ his face but he had the tooth, he had the fucking tooth, o-on Halloween bro! He was right fucking there!”

Adrenaline washed over Souda’s body, making his blood go cold. He felt like he was ten feet away from his body, far above it. He started to cry. Pekoyama looked away from him. Kuzuryu put his hand on Souda’s shoulder and guided him to sit on the couch in the living room. He sat across from Souda, leaning on his knees as he waited for him to calm down. 

“Kazuichi,” Kuzuryu began coolly, “Do you have any clue who these guys were?”

Souda sniffed, considering the questioning, “I dunno. I saw somethin’ on the side of the van. Somethin’ weird.”

Kuzuryu stood up and walked back into his office. He rustled around in there for a moment as Pekoyama set a glass of water in front of Souda. 

“Thanks,” he croaked before taking a long drink. 

Kuzuryu came back with a few large print photos, sat down, and handed him the pictures. One of them was of a tattoo on a man’s bicep, which looked slightly similar, but not the same. Souda set it down before moving on to another, which was the picture of the side of a car. Again, the logo was similar, but not the same. The last, finally, was the back of someone’s jacket. It was instantly recognizable to him as the back of the trenchcoats Fujisaki and Oowada wore. It was also, quite distinctly, the logo on the side of the van. He set the other two photos down to look at the one in his hand closer.

Suddenly, Kuzuryu’s fist came down hard on the table, making Souda nearly jump out of his seat. Kuzuryu was absolutely infuriated. He looked up at Pekoyama, breathing hard out of his nose. 

“They’ve gone too fucking far, Peko.”

“Fuyuhiko, let’s—

Kuzuryu stood up, walked over to Souda, and crouched so that their eyes were level. Souda’s best friend’s green eyes radiated fury, hurt, and violence. Even with that baby face, Kuzuryu could be so terrifying sometimes.

“Whoever did this to you is gonna fucking die,” Kuzuryu said slowly and clearly.

Souda shivered. How did he even get to this point?

“You’re staying here tonight. I’m gonna go talk to Matsushige, we’ll get this handled,” Kuzuryu said as he made his way to the front door, “Peko, order something to eat. I’ll be back later.”

So he still called his dad by his name? Kuzuryu had lost his respect for his parents a long time ago; their relationship was primarily professional and superficial. Souda felt bad for him. 

“Would you like to follow me to your room?” Pekoyama asked.

Souda nodded and stood up, following her through the house. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, “Do you have any requests?”

He shook his head, “Nah, not really.”

She nodded and stopped next to a bedroom door. Souda slid it open to see a large bed in the middle of a dimly lit, rather spacious bedroom. There was a bathroom inside, as well as a rather large TV. As far as he could tell, this room went unoccupied at pretty much all other times. Souda walked inside, popping his knuckles. 

“I’ll leave you alone, I know it’s been a stressful couple of hours. I’ll call when dinner gets here.”

“Thanks, Peko. I’m gonna go outside and smoke, ‘kay?”

Pekoyama nodded before walking away into the opposite wing of the house, where Souda assumed the main living room was. He walked out the front door and down to the courtyard, which had a large koi pond built into the ground surrounded by carefully kept shrubbery and short benches. He sat down on one of the benches and pulled from his pockets both his cigarettes and his phone. 

Five missed calls from Gundham. Three from Miu. Two from Sonia. Four from Hinata. Souda sighed. He tapped Gundham’s contact.

The first ring barely got through when Gundham picked up. He was breathless/.

“Kazuichi?” Gundham’s voice cracked on the last syllable, “Is everything okay?”

Souda was all cried out, otherwise, he would’ve teared up at that. He breathed out a shaking breath.

“Hi babe, 'm sorry I didn’t call ya’ sooner.”

Gundham paused. “What has transpired? You sound troubled.”

Souda chuckled bitterly, “It’s been a long night, Gundham.”

“Is there some infernal purpose for which you are being vague?”

Souda sighed. “I got jumped after the convention.”

Silence. It was so heavy that it drowned out the hum of the night around him. Souda’s heart beat hard against his ribs.

“Gundham?”

“Where is your current location?” Gundham asked, his tone deathly serious.

Souda sighed. He knew Gundham wanted to do something about this; he would want to do the same if the roles were reversed.

“I’m at Fuyuhiko’s, don’t worry about me. They’re takin’ care of it— I think they know who’s behind it.”

“This was an  _ organized  _ attack on your person?! Kazuichi, this is unacceptable. Who has done this? Who does the Lord of Ice and Darkness need to reign down furious vengeance upon? I will summon forth four-hundred years of accursed demon dogs to mar their future generations once I am finished blotting each of their worthless mortal souls from existence. They will feel the resounding agony of their very fibers of being frayed at both ends — I will flay their skin from their infernal, repulsive bodies. Tell me  _ now _ , Kazuichi, who has earned my wrath?”

Gundham was furious. He was breathing hard and his voice resounded in a certain way that Souda had never heard before. It was strange, but somehow he felt soothed by the fact that Gundham — sweet, ever-dramatic Gundham — would be willing to kill for him. Souda supposed he’d do the same, but he wouldn’t be nearly as confident that he’d win.

“Ya can’t go doin’ your little murder spree, Gundham, and I’ll tell ya why,” Souda started, “It’s Mondo’s brother’s people — the Crazy Diamonds, ‘er whatever. Fuyuhiko’s already been dealin’ with ‘em, I guess, so he’s talkin’ to his dad now about tryin’ to get it handled.”

Gundham sighed on the other line. He was quiet for a few moments, obviously trying to process everything he’d been told.

“What was done, if I might ask?” Gundham spoke up after a moment sounding calmer and sadder.

“He threatened me with a knife,” Souda explained, the story starting to become less difficult to tell due to the number of times he had to say it, “Some other guys broke into my car tryin’ to find Kiibo’s blueprints. We’ve probably been followed for a while now.”

Gundham was quiet again for a little while. “I will contact the Lady of Shadow and beckon her to my chambers. Our powers combined can bend the will of causality in such manners that these villains will be effectively and metaphysically punished for their digressions. Never before has a curse been formulated with such intention and raw energy. If I cannot defend you with my hands, I am required to do so by any other means which I can conjure in a corporeal state.”

Souda’s lips quirked at the corners at Gundham’s devotion, but it faded when he remembered what Kuzuryu had said to him.

“Fuyuhiko’s guys are gonna kill someone over it,” he said, surprised that it was the reality of the situation he’d been thrust in. 

“Such is fate,” Gundham responded with a touch of bitterness. 

Souda didn’t know what to do or say anymore. He took a long drag off of his cigarette and watched the koi swirl around one another in lazy loops. 

“I miss you,” Gundham said suddenly.

It always struck Souda when Gundham spoke even relatively plainly. Souda couldn’t help but crack a little smile at that.

“I miss you too, babe. Sorry I couldn’t come by tonight, I didn’t wanna go puttin’ you and yer family in danger.”

“Your consideration speaks volumes of your heart, Kazuichi. Will you be returning to Towa City come morning?”

“Yeah, I’m gonna get outta here first thing.”

“Would it be permissible if I dropped by your place of residence at that time?”

“Of course, I’ll call ya’ then. I better get off a’ here and call Miu, I still don’t know if anythin’ happened to her after the convention. I’ll see ya’ tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow it is,” Gundham said in a way that was feigning security with the situation.

With that, they said their goodbyes and hung up. Souda tapped out the end of his cigarette and set the butt on the bench next to him before immediately lighting up another. It was to pat down the flames of fear and anxiety that rose within him. He tapped on Miu’s contact and called her. She wasn’t waiting by the phone like Gundham clearly had been, but it didn’t take long for her to pick up. 

“Hey,” she said in a strange, affected tone that Souda had only ever heard from her the time she had to take his bike down from his dad’s, “You okay?”

“Eh, I’m doin’ better now. Somethin’ happened after the convention, right?”

Souda knew that her initial level of concern didn’t come from the fact that he wasn’t answering his phone, it was because something had happened to her too.

“I got this weird fuckin’ phone call,” Miu started, “It was when me n’ Ibadashi were at the college putting Kiibo back into the closet. Some restricted number calls me talking about some ‘Watch your fuckin’ back’ and ‘We’re gonna get you both’ and shit like that. It wigged me out bad, so I’m at Kaede’s tonight. Why? What do you think it was about?”

Souda breathed out a long stream of smoke, “Well, some dudes mugged me in the parking garage lookin’ for his blueprints, so I’ve got a pretty good idea.”

There was a gasp in the background. Miu must’ve had him on speaker with Akamatsu. 

“Are you shitting me?!” Miu asked, stunned.

Souda shook his head, though she couldn’t see him, “Remember that dude from Halloween? The one who took a picture with Kiibo in the bar? He fuckin’ jumped me, man.”

“ _ Fuck _ this is bad!” Miu exclaimed, genuinely shaken, “I don’t even have the physical blueprints anymore! It’s all digital.”

Souda took a drag off of his cigarette, ‘Good ta’ know/”

“Shit… Are you okay?! Where are you?”

“Fuyuhiko’s,” he replied dully, the retelling of the story getting heavy in his mouth, “It was the Crazy Diamonds, but the gang, not the club.”

Miu must’ve been reeling because she didn’t respond for a few seconds.

“What the fuck?!”

“I know.”

“Fucking  _ shit _ , Kaz, this is really fucking bad! You could’ve died!”

“I know.”

“... And you’re just hunky-fucking-dory about that?!”

Souda rolled his eyes, “No, Miu, I’m just tired. I’m just fuckin’ tired of cryin’ and panickin’ and freakin’ out man, okay? I just don’t have any more of it in me right now.”

Miu sighed on the other line, “Well, what do we do now? We have that meeting with the Minister of Defense.”

He considered the question and shrugged, tapping off the ash of his cigarette, “Go-karts?”

“Go-karts?” Miu parroted, confused.

“I dunno sounds like a way to chill out and think about what t’do next instead of gettin’ too wrapped up in the robot project.”

Miu chuckled a little bit, “Hmm… Go-karts, huh? Maybe…”

Akamatsu said something to Miu that was muffled to Souda’s ear.

Miu got back on the line, “I guess I should letcha go rest then. Call me first thing tomorrow though, ‘kay? Even before you go get your celebration blowie from your boyfriend.”

That made Souda genuinely chuckle. He agreed to do so and said goodbye before hanging up. 

Two cigarettes were enough to have his brain swimming with nicotine. Any longer out there and he’d be lightheaded. He couldn’t bring himself to get on the phone again, so he just texted Hinata that he was okay and that he’d explain everything in the morning. Souda pocketed his phone and cigarettes before continuing back into the back house. Once he got inside, he slipped the house shoes back onto his feet after leaving his sneakers under the stair by the door. 

He followed the sound of TV back into the unexplored wing of the house. The hallway opened into an enormous entertainment room. Pekoyama was sitting on a large sectional sofa which was built down into a pit that made the top cushions level with the floor. She looked up at him and nodded.

“You’re just in time, dinner just got here.”

Souda looked around, “Where is it?”

“Someone is bringing it to us.”

“Ah,” he said as he walked down into the pit where the sofa was. 

Pekoyama spoke as she texted fervently, “Are you feeling better?”

Souda nodded, “Yeah, a bit.”

“Good,” she said, still not looking up as she stood up and walked out of the room. 

The food must’ve arrived. Sure enough, Pekoyama returned with two boxes of pizza. She set the boxes on the counter of the small kitchenette by the bar area before grabbing three plates down from the cupboard. He didn’t feel that hungry, but nabbed a slice anyhow and sat upon the barstools next to Pekoyama.

“Y’seen Sonia anytime soon?” Souda asked after a moment.

Pekoyama let a fond smile slip as Sonia was mentioned, “It’s been a little while. Work has been busy, as you can tell.”

“Have these dudes been screwin’ with you guys a lot?”

“More than recently,” Pekoyama sighed, “We’ve been having issues since late last year. It’s been nonstop the last few months, though.”

Souda chewed his pizza slowly, not liking where this was going.

“If you want my opinion about it, I don’t think the attack was strictly about your robot. I think it was about getting under our skin while also trying to get one over on us. It’s a tactical robot, right?”

Souda nodded.

“A weapon like that… That could do something really terrible in the wrong hands. No wonder they’d want to take it.”

A cold pit grew in his stomach. Luckily all he had left was crusts; he’d lost what little appetite he had. The front door to the house opened as Kuzuryu came inside. Souda and Pekoyama turned around to watch as he put on his house shoes and walked over to where they were. He grabbed a plate, three pieces of pizza, and a beer out of a small fridge by the bar. He slid it down the bar to Pekoyama before grabbing another and sliding it to Souda. Kuzuryu grabbed one for himself and hopped up on the barstool next to Pekoyama.

Souda looked at the can, then back at Kuzuryu. “You celebrating?”

Kuzuryu shrugged and popped the top as he followed a bite of pizza with a swig of beer.

“Just calmin’ the fuck down. Haven’t eaten all day.”

Pekoyama looked over at Kuzuryu, “How was the meeting?”

Kuzuryu ate for a little while longer before responding. “It went okay. Big guy’s gonna get his people on it. We’re gonna put together a team and stay down in the city for a while to handle shit on the streets.”

Souda raised his eyebrows, genuinely surprised by the decision. 

“We are?” Pekoyama asked, sounding equally taken aback.

Kuzuryu nodded, “So our shit’s gotta be packed by Monday.” 

Pekoyama was clearly trying to restrain a reaction. Kuzuryu finished up his beer and pizza, gathered everyone else’s plates, and put them in the kitchenette sink. 

“And you’re getting new coworkers.”

“What?” Pekoyama asked, almost offended.

Kuzuryu laughed, “Don’t freak out, you can be there for the interviews.”

Pekoyama clammed up but still looked rather uncomfortable with the prospect.

“It’ll be nice to have ya nearby,” Souda said, both meaning it and attempting to diffuse the tension.

“Yeah, I’ll be able to keep you fuckin’ bastards in line,” he chuckled.

Souda laughed a little as well, taking advantage of the momentary normalcy. Kuzuryu grabbed another beer and walked over to the couch. He looked at Pekoyama and Souda.

“You guys wanna watch a movie?”

All at once, Souda was struck with the reality of their situation. Here they were, a trio of twenty-somethings who were just hours ago reckoning with the danger they were in now relaxing and drinking beers. How did they do this when it was just the two of them? Did Pekoyama and Kuzuryu, after a long day of hustling and weighing the lives of the people below them, come back into this room and relax with a movie? Did they sit in sweatpants, drink beers, and talk shit about guys they worked with?

He felt almost deceived by the illusion of normalcy. Souda nodded and joined him on the couch, ignoring the throbbing bruise under his chin. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things are kicking off :00 Blthanks for sticking around and supporting this fic, I appreciate it so, so much!!


	9. Stay In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for some talk about physical parental abuse later in the chapter!

_ Gundham had his arms wrapped around Souda, who was resting his head on his chest. He looked down at the man next to him, watching affectionately as his long lashes brushed against his freckled cheek with each blink. Gundham felt that Souda was one of the most gorgeous creatures on the planet; he thought about it as he stroked Souda’s mass of pink hair back away from his face.  _

_ Suddenly, Souda sat up, facing away from Gundham, who followed suit and placed his hand on Souda’s shoulder. He tried to say something, but the words wouldn’t gather in his throat. Gundham pulled Souda’s shoulder, turning him around to see his partner covering his nose and mouth, trying to stop the gushing blood as it seeped through his fingers. Gundham put his hands over Souda’s. _

_ “Let me see!” he finally managed. _

_ But Souda kept his hands clasped over his face, eyes welling and tears mixing into the blood. Gundham pried Souda’s hands away, compelled to see the source of the blood. Souda sobbed openly into the air. _

_ “Why did you do this?” he cried. _

_ Gundham shook his head, panting and he tried to stop the flow of blood with his hands. _

_ “I-I — _

_ “Gundham, why’re you hurting me?” _

_ His heart pounded like a stampede in his ears. He hadn’t hurt Souda, had he? _

_ — _

Gundham’s eyes slammed open into the bleariness of the morning. His hands scrambled, searching for Souda’s body. The pieces came to him one at a time: he was at home, he was alone, and he didn’t know where Souda was. He reached out to his phone quickly and yanked it into his covers. The bright white light hurt his eyes and he screwed them shut against the offense. Gradually, he opened his eyes again until they had adjusted to the blue light. He swiped passed his background; a photo of Souda proudly holding out Cham-P and Maga-Z while balancing Jum-P and Sun-D on top of his head. He immediately found Souda’s contact in his phone and pressed the button to call him. As the phone rang, Gundham’s eyes flicked over to the digital clock on his nightstand and saw that it was just barely six in the morning. Souda wouldn’t be waking up for hours. He sighed as the dial tone ended at Souda’s voicemail. Gundham hung up and set his phone down. 

He’d been having nightmares more frequently than usual since Souda had been attacked; about four nights a week. In them, Souda was usually in some kind of danger or had harm come to him. No matter how much Gundham tried to help him, he couldn’t manage to quite get there. This, however, was the first time Souda had blamed him for it. Gundham ran his hands over his face, trying to wake himself up.

They hadn’t been able to see each other since Souda had come by for a few hours the day after it had happened.Even before the attack, Gundham had been feeling particularly unlike himself — or was it exactly the kind of person he really was, he’d just been distracted from it? He wanted to talk about it with his boyfriend, but when they were together he just felt so wrapped up in the sweet softness of their time together that he didn’t dare taint it with the sticky darkness he felt within himself. 

Besides, he’d be talking to a professional soon enough, anyhow. He had an appointment that evening to meet with a therapist for a short preliminary meeting in order to get to know one another. He felt bad for leaving Souda out of the loop, but when had he the time to tell him? It was probably better not to stress him out with the news anyhow, what with the events of the past week.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen and saw a text message from Sonia. She always seemed to wake up at the same time as him; an especially uncanny phenomenon given the frequency of his sleep’s interruption. 

[From: The Dark Lady: It is an early morning, Gundham.（´ヘ｀；） I will be meditating with the intent to protect Kazuichi and will be manifesting energy against his foes（｀ー´）Let me know when you are creating a curse today, I would like to do mine at the same  time in order to emphasize the energy. We could do it together, if you are up for it!（´・｀ ）♡ Call me when you can.]

Gundham sighed and lugged himself out of bed. His mother was awake and running the heater, thankfully. He stretched his back, then touched his toes before going through the motions of feeding, watering, cleaning, and sweeping up after the Devas before he went to the restroom. He found a large sweater on the floor and pulled it over his head.

Still quite groggy, Gundham kneeled on the small pillow in front of his magical altar as he struck a match and lit four new incenses before folding his fingers, bowing his head, and dipping into a state of deep concentration. He measured his breathing and let the fatigue fall away from him with each inhale until he was finally left with a blank slate of a mind to work with.

It took some considerable effort, but he eventually cleared his brain, rid himself of worldly stimuli, and focused. Gundham centered his attention on Souda and Miu, manifesting success and protection. His concentration nearly slipped then, but he held on as he breathed in slow, purposeful breaths. 

He thought about Souda’s tired face and the purple mark where the switchblade had been pressed hard against his flesh. The way Souda’s bubblegum hair fell into his face as he rested his head against Gundham’s collarbone, nearly falling asleep in his lap as they sat together. He was so tired then, so serene in his exhaustion that Gundham could almost picture the way he looked as a child. He took in a sharp breath, wondering how someone could bear to hurt Souda. 

Gundham knew all the more assuredly that he wanted those people to endure extreme amounts of pain.

It wasn’t until his hands began to hurt that he realized that he was clenching them so hard that the knuckles had turned white. He tried to measure his breathing, but to no avail. Gundham sighed with frustration and got back on his feet. Nothing would feel right unless he could be with Souda, making sure he was safe. But Pekoyama and Sonia had sat him down shortly after Souda had left that day and instructed him to keep his distance.

“You can’t just be alone with him. He and Miu are already in danger themselves,” Pekoyama had explained, “I can’t have these people targeting anyone else and putting more lives at stake — Hajime is already considering staying with his brother. I’d hate for anything to happen to you just because they wanted to get under Kazuichi’s skin.”

Sonia must have detected how he was feeling by the crestfallen look that came over him, as she rushed to add: “Peko has to tell Kaede the same thing. It is just a precaution. Besides, Fuyuhiko himself is getting a penthouse downtown where we can all rendezvous frequently!”

Gundham didn’t say anything, just hid his face under his scarf and cast his gaze away from the women. Had he known the last few hours he’d spent alone with Souda would be the last they could have for an undetermined amount of time, he would have held him tighter; he would have said something more.

He started to pace the length of his bedroom, his body needing to channel the worry somehow. Suddenly, there was a knock at his door. He opened it to find his mother hurriedly putting her earrings in as she tried to finish getting ready while simultaneously getting out the door.

“I fed everyone downstairs,” she said, finishing up putting the second one in her ear, “You don’t mind watching the girls, do you? They just had breakfast and now they’re watching TV.”

Gundham shook his head, trying to put himself into a more normal state now that he had to interact with his family, “That is not an issue. I am surprised they are awake at this hour.”

Ena shrugged with a slight smile on her face, “Hoshiko woke up early and forced Ama to get up with her. They both walked into my room while I was getting ready and scared the daylights out of me! Anyway, I have to get out of here and run around town — I’ll be back before your appointment.”

Gundham let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding; he was glad she’d considered it before he had to mention it. Ena hugged Gundham before walking out into the sitting room and saying goodbye to her daughters. When she did, Gundham was reminded of how it felt to be a child in her arms. How she would guard him against the world with the brunt of her body. It made him feel small and weak in a way that made him want to claw up the walls. 

As their mother walked out the front door of the loft, Hoshiko and Amaterasu turned around in their seats on the sofa and looked at Gundham; their two pairs of eyes looking so much like either of his. For a moment, he was struck dumb with the realization that they were both growing up so quickly. They just looked at him, unjudging and content.

Hoshi finally spoke up, “Gundham, can we go to the park?”

Her voice snapped him out of his daze. He blinked and shook his head before walking over to sit with him.

“Perhaps later in the day, Hoshiko, but as of now entering the grounds is forbidden. What else might suffice?”

Being that Gundham spoke in the grandiose way he usually did even to his kid sisters made their comprehension skills more advanced than the average child. Hoshi, as young as she was, knew what he was asking and hummed as she considered the question. She gasped as the thought struck her. Hoshiko climbed up and stood on the couch to make her declaration.

“Let’s play animals!”

Gundham smiled at the suggestion and nodded to her, “And so we shall. First, however, it is time to get dressed in proper clothing. I will do the same — have your canids been polished?”

Amaterasu got onto her feet and nodded as she led the way to her bedroom with Hoshiko in tow, “Yeah, we brushed after breakfast.”

Gundham nodded affirmatively as he got up from the couch and walked back to his room. Hoshiko stopped just before her doorway.

“Wait! Can I pick out my outfit today?” she asked, referring to the fact that Amaterasu was usually the one who coordinated her outfits when their mother hadn’t done so.

Gundham shrugged, “I do not see why that would not be permissible.”

Hoshiko cheered and ran straight to her closet. Gundham smirked and shut his door behind him.

—

Somehow, Gundham had figured out how to extend a game of pretend animals into an hour-long affair. Hoshiko had chosen to wear a pair of bright rainbow tights and a neon shirt, a garish combination which she had chosen in order to best convey herself as the role of a unicorn. 

“That’s not a  _ real _ animal,” Amaterasu argued, “You’re just a horse.”

“Nu-uh! I’m a  _ unicorn _ ! We never said we were playing  _ real  _ animals,” Hoshiko rebutted.

Amaterasu rolled her eyes, “Fine! Then I’m a flying pig!”

Hoshiko laughed, “Okay!”

Ama’s eyes widened, “Wait, nevermind!”

She looked down at her own outfit; a pair of bright red high-water pants which used to fit her completely but she refused to throw away, as well as an old black t-shirt with orange writing which Gundham handed down to her.

“I’ll be a phoenix!” she proclaimed.

The two girls looked at Gundham. As usual, he was wearing an ensemble of entirely black clothing, save for the white drawstring on his sweatpants. I decided to go with the first thing that came to mind.

“I shall assume the role of a fearsome dragon.”

They both giggled wildly at that, thrilled that he would be the antagonist for their story. From there, the three of them crafted a story about two powerful spirits who lived in the forest and had to beat down an evil dragon that lived at the top of a volcano. It was a riveting tale, but it failed to keep anyone’s attention after Gundham had been successfully slain by Hoshiko driving a wooden spoon into his chest as though it were a sword. From there, they were stumped for entertainment once more.

“Can we do a puzzle?” Ama asked.

“I want to make the fort!” Hoshi interjected.

Gundham looked at Amaterasu apologetically, “The fort  _ would  _ be a much faster venture.”

Ama sighed, but relented. Hoshiko cheered again and dragged her sister along to pull out spare blankets and sheets while Gundham reconfigured the furniture to accommodate and support the structure. They returned with armfuls of linens and assisted in draping and tying the various fabrics in order to fashion a little hut on the ground, which they’d lined with blankets and pillows. Just as the girls were getting ready to dive in, Gundham stopped them.

“Something very vital is missing from this ritual,” he said in a feigning-grave tone.

They stared at him, determined to extract the knowledge from his gaze. 

“Retrieve your sleep-time companions!” Gundham declared grandly, pointing to their bedroom.

The girls rushed to the room before returning with their favorite stuffed animals. Gundham held open the blanket which acted as the entrance and exit for them to crawl through. They’d set up the fort so that it encompassed the television as well, making the fort feel like a sort of personal theater. Gundham turned on one of the films their mother had recently rented for the girls before sitting down with them. 

It was a valiant, rather impressive effort on young Hoshiko’s part to sit through the first half-hour of a film without interrupting, so when she did so at roughly that point, it wasn’t surprising. 

“I wanna go to the park!” Hoshiko declared.

Amaterasu sighed, “I want to stay home, Hoshi.”

Hoshi whined, stomping her feet where she sat. She was clearly finished watching the film. A wave of exhaustion came over Gundham as her complaining got more and more high-pitched. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I know,” Ama spoke up, “Why don’t we have a makeover? That way Gundham can teach us how to do makeup.”

Both Hoshi and Gundham snapped to attention at that. It was a rather agreeable idea for all parties involved, so he stood up and went to his bathroom to retrieve a cheap eyeshadow palette that came with 100 colors. He had only bought the thing for a particular shade of grey that was in it, which was the only color now missing, in fact. He also grabbed a few brushes as well as some miscellaneous items he didn’t use anymore and took them out to the fort. 

The television supplied decent enough lighting, along with the fact that the fort wasn’t an airtight operation. Once Gundham set the palette down, Hoshi reached in and dipped her fingers into the brightest colors and smeared them on her eyelids. Ama, however, moved so that she was sitting nearer to the whole set up and picked up one of the brushes. She looked to Gundham, waiting for his instruction. He handed her one of the compact mirrors he brought out and took one up himself.

“I suppose you are inquiring for instruction on my own personal method, yes?”

She nodded, adjusting her hold on the brush so it mimicked Gundham’s. Meanwhile, Hoshi bent over the mirror built into the other half of the palette, watching herself as she made lines of colors like whiskers on her cheeks. Gundham dipped his brush into a dusty purple color, lightly taking color onto the fibers. Ama chose a scarlet shade in a similar tone. She watched closely as Gundham gradually applied it to the outer corner of his eye before dragging it underneath his eye. She mimicked him once he was done, so Gundham paused to let her catch up. 

Gundham handed her an unopened eyeliner pencil.

“Be sure to dull the end by applying the liner to the backside of your hand before applying it to your skin,” he advised.

She nodded and followed his instruction, softening the semi-sharp tip of the pencil on her wrist. Once it was ready, Gundham slowly dragged his own pencil over his lash line before smudging it with his finger. Ama laughed at that.

“Really? I thought that part was so much harder,” she chuckled before trying the technique out for herself.

It looked pretty good, especially for her first time. 

“An affiliate of mine, Ibuki, enjoys creating small designs on her face with eyeliner. Perhaps you can dabble in such activities if it strikes you.”

Ama studied her face in the compact mirror for a moment before reaching up and carefully doodling a small smiley face on her cheek. Hoshi clapped.

“I like it!”

Her face looked as though she had tried to make herself look like a cat with at least twelve colors. Gundham and Amaterasu both laughed good-naturedly at this. Hoshiko paid it no mind and touched up certain places of her masterpiece with her pinky finger. Ama moved on to imitate the look on her other eye, so Gundham stood up and grabbed a few of the things he brought out to take back to his room. Ama looked up at him.

“I’ll take it back to you after I’m done”

Gundham shook his head, “Consider it a gift, despite how paltry it is.”

Ama beamed at him, thrilled that she would be gifted such an item, “Wow, thanks Gundham!”  
He smiled back at her before continuing on to his bedroom. He set down the makeup materials back in the assigned drawer and wet a washcloth to wipe off his face. Before he did so, Gundham caught his own eye in the mirror and paused. He’d done his eyeshadow on his grey, scarred eye. It made for a strange contrast on his face, like the right side of his face could look almost conventional if it weren’t for the singular scarlet eye.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Gundham pulled it out as he wiped away the eyeshadow to see a few texts from both Sonia and Souda, as well as a missed call. His heart immediately sank, the relaxation he’d been feeling for the last few hours dissipated like smoke. In his moment of sheer terror, Gundham failed to so much as read the messages, which were actually nothing exciting at all; Sonia had just sent him a photo of some things she’d picked up from Hagakure’s shop, and Souda had sent him a few mundane text messages.

[From: Dear Heart: Hi babe sorry i didnt answer i was sleeping.]

[From: Dear Heart: Gonna take a shower do you want pics? Jk]

[From: Dear Heart: Unless you do]

[From: Dear Heart: Ok ill stop call you later]

And he did. The missed call from Souda was timed at about ten minutes after the last message was sent. Gundham breathed in steadily to try and right the beating of his heart. Frustration rose within him as the relief faded. All things considered, he was utterly powerless to the citation at hand and the reality of that truth made life just slightly more terrifying on an everyday basis. Regardless of the power and influence, he held on a phantasmal level, Gundham could not fight as one against such a magnanimous threat. He clenched his fist, but nothing he could do with it would solve anything. He let out a sigh, dried his face, and moved to call Souda back when he heard his mother come through the front door. 

Hoshiko squealed, her bare feet slapping against the wood floor as she rushed to greet her mom. Their exchanged greetings were muffled through the walls, but Gundham could definitely make out when his mother called his name. Gundham looked at the messages from Souda; he’d have to delay his response a little while longer.

“I see you’ve kept them entertained,” Ena chuckled as she set down a few bags, referring to the state of the living room and the made-up faces of her daughters.

Gundham smiled and shrugged as he began unpacking the bags for her so that she could talk with the girls.

“Mom! Mom! Don’t I look so pretty?” Hoshiko giggled.

Ena laughed and scooped her up into a big hug, “Yes you do! Your brother was very sweet to let you play with his makeup.”

“Look at what he gave me!” Amaterasu squealed, holding out the makeup that was gifted to her.

Ena gasped softly, matching her daughter’s enthusiasm, “Wow!”

Ama and Hoshi were beaming. It was great to see how confident and reassured they were in their young ages. Gundham was not jealous but felt a cold chill circulate inside of the pit within him that had been left there when, at their ages, he’d been beaten down by their father both emotionally and/or physically for having such strong positive emotions openly. It was an endless relief that they hardly remembered him.

He glanced over to the clock on the oven; he needed to be at his appointment in a little over an hour. The day had got away from him rather quickly — he still needed to shower, change into proper clothes, and get onto the train all with enough time to make it to his appointment. The girls had already begun to drag Ena after them to show her the fort they’d constructed.

“I bought you one of those sandwiches you like, Gundham,” she called as she walked away. 

His hand had just touched the paper wrapping as he unpacked the last bag. He let out a sigh of relief; one less thing to worry about. Gundham thanked her, stored the sandwich in the refrigerator, and made his way back to his room to try and get ready as quickly as he could. In the end, he decided to pull his hair back into a bun and adorn himself rather modestly. A pair of black leggings and an oversized sweater would be plenty comfortable for the chilly ride there. Gundham rushed through smudging eyeliner under his eye and eating his food before he pulled his peacoat and scarf off of the coat rack, said goodbye to his mother and sisters, and yanked on his boots in the landing.

It was overcast. People walked briskly with folded umbrellas under their arms and raincoats with their hoods down. The asphalt was dark and saturated from a rain shower hours earlier; children stomped in puddles as they walked through them. Gundham pulled his scarf to cover his nose and made his way to the train platform. As he walked, his mind worked hard to work out the soonest he would be able to speak to Souda again. He could text him on the train, but it would simply be a further delay to their next real conversation. Perhaps he could “accidentally end up” on Souda’s street on his way back home. 

When he finally got up to the platform and onto the train, Gundham had to stand in the car holding a rail as the seats were completely full with commuters on the lunch rush. People in smart suits and pencil skirts looked down at their phones or books, trying to distract themselves from their hunger momentarily. Some people, however, found their distraction in Gundham. Various people around the cabin look at his clothes, scrutinizing his sense of style. He’d never really minded the staring, as it was mostly a fact of his life, but he remembered suddenly that he’d have to tolerate similar reactions from the therapist he was going to see.

Gundham didn’t know anyone else who saw mental health professionals and finding someone reasonable was hard enough. He had to assume that he was going to be a part of what was already a small, specific set of clientele and he was willing to bet that there was no one in the therapist’s docket of patients who could also call themselves gay Occult members who bred prize-winning animals for their family’s business. He sighed openly at the idea of his time being wasted so thoroughly. 

—

The therapist’s office was on one of the uppermost floors of a large skyscraper downtown. The building’s directory included several types of businesses, from radio stations to call centers to a daycare. Gundham rode the elevator alongside a young woman propping a toddler on her hip. She stood in the corner furthest from Gundham, trying not to make eye contact. Her baby, however, wanted nothing more than to gawk and smile at Gundham from over their mother’s shoulder. Gundham waggled his fingers at the child as their mother stepped off of the elevator on their floor, which earned a small wave from the toddler. 

He rode up another six floors until he was let out on floor 15. A short-haired individual wearing a face mask typed swiftly away on a loud keyboard. They looked up as Gundham approached and adjusted their glasses.

“Name?”

“Gundham Tanaka.”

They tapped out his name and squinted at the screen. They clicked a few things, wrote something down on a clipboard, then handed it up to Gundham.

“Please fill out what you can. I’ve marked where you’ll need to initial and signature. There are some chairs just to the right — go ahead and give it back to me when you’re all done.”

Gundham took the clipboard along with a pen from the cup that was on the counter. There were normal questions about his personal information and medical history as well as a few privacy agreements; mundane medical paperwork that one would expect on their first visit to such a facility. Every so often, Gundham looked up and across the room to the large floor-to-ceiling windows at the grey sky which served as a backdrop for the receptionist’s desk. Where was Souda just then? Was he looking up at the same sky at just that moment? The serendipity of the idea made him smile just the slightest bit. 

When he was finished, he handed off the clipboard to the receptionist. They quickly looked it over before nodding.

“Perfect, thanks so much. The doctor is the last door on the right — it should be open.”

Gundham nodded and made his way down the hall. It must’ve been a floor of similar offices, as the plaques on the doors he passed tended to include some kind of doctoral credential or social service statement. He could make out murmured conversations from behind some of the doors as he went by. When he walked through the last door, a woman with light blue hair was sitting in a powered wheelchair reading a book. Once she spotted Gundham, she smiled up at him.

“I take it you’re my one o'clock — it’s great to meet you, I’m Dr. Miaya Gekkogahara,” she greeted, leaning at the waist as a bow.

Gundham bowed back, “I am known as Gundham Tanaka. It is my pleasure.”

He was immediately thankful for his impression that she was a polite, soft-spoken woman. As Gundham draped his coat over the hook next to her tan jacket and scarlet scarf, she swapped her novel for a clipboard that was sitting on the edge of her desk. Dr. Gekkogahara looked down at the top page, then over at Gundham as he took a seat on the squeaking couch.

“Being that this is your first time here, I’d like to keep today’s session rather casual and light if that’s okay with you? That way if it turns out I’m not such a great fit for your needs, you can walk away not having invested too much of your time.”

Gundham nodded, habitually adjusting his scarf so it covered as much of his face as it could without obscuring him. She rested the clipboard across her lap.

“So, tell me about yourself, Gundham. How old are you? What do you like to do?”

Gundham knitted his fingers together and tapped his thumbs as he wrestled with deciding how much effort he should put into simplifying his vernacular.

“I will be entering my twenty-second year this December and I am employed full time at my family’s business.”

“Are you attending university?”

“Yes, I am studying veterinary science.”

“An admirable trade, Gundham. I take it you’re passionate about animals?”

Gundham was stammered by the question. He was rarely asked such a thing because it was usually abundantly obvious. He smiled a little at the inquisition.

“For so much of my life I have found solace and company in members of the animal kingdom. I feel as though much of my life’s purpose is to care for and shelter the animals which come in my path. They seem to understand me on an intrinsic level which humans rarely reach.”

Dr. Gekkogahara drummed her nails on the clipboard, “Do you feel ostracized by other people?”

Gundham had to pause to consider the question. 

“I think people have ostracized me.”

“You said you have family, do they make you feel excluded?”  
Gundham shook his head ardently, “No, never. My mother and sisters are heaven sends.”

She leaned back in her chair, “Are they your only company? Do you have any other relationships?”

“I have a very dear companion called Sonia Nevermind. She and I have been comrades since her arrival in our country at the beginning of our high school experiences.”  
“And you two are still close?”

“Our souls are kindred; we will never be far apart from one another.”

Dr. Gekkogahara took a moment to write a few things down. The silence prompted Gundham to speak further.

“I am… also in a relationship.”

She raised an intrigued eyebrow, “Go on.”

“His name is Kazuichi Souda.”

Gundham tried to gauge her reaction, but she didn’t seem to be particularly moved either way by his statement. 

“And are you happy with him?”

Gundham nodded, smiling, “Happier than I have ever been, I believe.”

“So what is it about people that make you feel ostracized by them?”

He sighed and took a moment to gather his thoughts.

“Before quite recently, I had been content to traverse a path of relative loneliness. Sonia was my only ally outside of my own dwelling for many years until I became acquainted slowly with others once I had branched out of high school,” Gundham paused to determined whether he should continue, “I have felt inhuman at times — as though I was so far away from people and their humanity that I was something of a demon. As a child, I would lash out at other children who might touch me. I would claim that a curse of death would befall them for their skin having made contact with my own.”

“And is there any reason you can think of regarding why you might’ve come to that conclusion?” Dr. Gekkogahara asked.

It was so clichéd that he almost didn’t want to say it, but he decided that the shame of it was worse than the embarrassment.

“Before my father passed away he was rather… explosive.”

“Was he physically abusive toward you?”

Gundham swallowed the lump in his throat. 

“Yes.”

“Can I ask you a somewhat difficult question, Gundham? I know it’s an early session, so feel free to decline.”

Gundham shook his head, “Go on.”

“Was it because he didn’t approve of the way you express yourself?”

He knew she was referring not only to his sexuality but also to the way he dressed and accessorized. 

“Perhaps. I think it would be reasonable to say that he predicted certain aspects of my personality rather early in my life and attempted to forcefully eradicate my inclinations.”

“So by a rather young age, you were under the impression that you were different in a way that was not only unappreciated by others, but could also bring you physical harm.”

Gundham nodded.

Dr. Gekkogahara wrote a few things down. “Forgive me if this is presumptuous of me to say, but one would assume that such experiences in early childhood would make a person adverse to the behaviors they were punished for.”

“I suppose,” Gundham began, “However his violence was balanced by my mother’s affections. If any physical harm befell me, it was because my mother was otherwise unable to protect me at the time. Oftentimes she would use her own body as a barrier against his attacks.”

“It sounds like your mother loves you unconditionally,” she observed.

The choked-up feeling returned. “Yes.”

The two of them looked at each other. She was clearly extrapolating in her mind for something more to offer Gundham. She let out a short breath, then set her clipboard on her desk, leaving her arms free. Dr. Gekkogahara leaned forward, resting her forearms on her knees. 

“I know we’ve gone a bit deeper than I initially said we would, but I think it’s been important to realize these things about you. From what I can tell — and feel free to correct me at any time — you seem to be surrounded by good people, you’re at a point in your life where you’re relatively comfortable… do you see what I’m getting at here”

He did and it made his blood go cold in his veins. This was the cycle; the circle of thinking he was trapped inside of. If one were to inscribe every aspect of Gundham Tanaka’s life onto paper, there would be a picture made of the happiest man alive. Yet, the joy he felt toward the gifts he’d been given by the fates was dampened by the unexplainable, inescapable inky blackness which shrouded his thought processes. Because he could never fully reach — could never fully feel the whole of his happiness when it was there, despite the abundance of it that he should have, Gundham was ridden with guilt. From there the cycle was perpetuated and continued to spin. 

But how could it be explained to Dr. Gekkogahara when she herself was already expressing some confusion over his predicament? How could he communicate the utter lunacy and ridiculousness of this unnamable darkness while also truthfully conveying the vice grip it had on his mind at times? Gundham resigned to silence, as he did when words failed him. He fiddled with the hem of his scarf. It would be so much easier with one of the Devas in his lap; they seemed to act as a sort of purifying agent for his tainted mindset.

Dr. Gekkogahara moved the joystick on her chair and inched closer to Gundham, but not so close that he felt encroached upon. Her powder blue eyes looked into his duo-chrome with a surprising amount of sincerity for a stranger. 

“You are not broken, Gundham.”

She stated it like it was a fact among all others. Gundham just stared at her, stunned by the power of her statement.. 

“There are so many things we can’t explain about ourselves,” she continued, “About the way our minds work. It’s not fair to expect yourself to have as many answers as you do questions. You’re allowed to be baffled by yourself — you’re allowed to not understand. You and I can walk down the road and talk through it all together, even the messy parts. It’s what I’m here for.”

Gundham let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. He was letting go of something small within him; the load was getting infinitesimally lighter, but it was still a relief. Perhaps the wheel he was being crushed under could be crushed itself. Gundham had to sit with the idea. She smiled at him.

“Well, Gundham, unfortunately, that’s the end of our time — first meetings are always halved time-wise. I’d love to see you again, so if you felt like today was comfortable for you, please feel free to make another appointment with the receptionist, okay? If not, then it was lovely to meet you and I truly wish you the best going forward.”

Gundham looked at the clock on the wall; thirty minutes had really gone by in a flash. He nodded and stood to grab his coat.

“Thank you, doctor,” Gundham responded, “I will make arrangements for a future meeting. Until then.”

“Goodbye Gundham,” she responded, grabbing her novel once more.

As Gundham started out the door, Dr. Gekkogahara spoke again.

“And don’t be too hard on yourself,” she added.

__

Gundham made his way home feeling better than he had when he’d left, which was a rare thing to happen when he hadn’t just been with Souda or Sonia. As soon as he got through the door and stepped into The Breedery, Gundham pulled his phone out of his pocket and called Souda. He sat upon a nearby counter, swinging his feet as he listened to the dial tone.

Souda picked up in the later rings, “Hey babe, how ya doin’? Been hangin’ out with yer other boyfriend?”

Gundham chuckled at the joke, “Salutations, my darling. Do forgive me for my lack of contact today, I was occupied with several different affairs. I do not desire to be so uncommunicative.”

“Well I guess I’ll forgive ya this time,” Souda said wryly, “What’ve ya been doin’?”

Gundham loved hearing his voice so much, he didn’t want to sully it with worry. He closed his eyes and wished Souda were there with him.

“I attended an appointment,” Gundham started, “with a therapist.”

Souda was quiet, then he sighed. “Aw man, I didn’t realize this whole thing was gettin’ so hard fer you.”

Gundham almost laughed at the misunderstanding, “No, no, it had nothing to do with the recent developments. I have been requiring such treatment for quite a time. I apologize for neglecting to tell you sooner.”

“Babe, why’re you goin’ on sayin’ sorry so much? I’m not mad, y’know? That stuff can be… personal. I get it.”

“Indeed, Kazuichi, but you must understand that I do not prize such sensibilities as concealment, especially not from the likes of you — the fates never lent an opportunistic time and —

“Gundham,” Souda spoke up, “I’m not gonna go gettin’ upset with you, ‘kay? Tell me how it went.”

He was telling the truth; Souda was being utterly and totally understanding, so why did Gundham feel as though he needed to argue his case to Souda regardless. Gundham sighed, looking down at a pen of young puppies fast asleep under their mother’s torso. 

“I will be returning.”

“And that’s a good thing, right? I can’t tell if it’s a good or bad thing to go back to therapy.”

Gundham chuckled, “I believe the general consensus is that such decisions are a positive development.”

“Well, then congrats, man, I’m proud a’ you,” Souda said, a smile evident in his voice, “I wish I could be there with ya’ — it’s been a long couple’a days without you.”

He sighed, “Indeed, the distance is difficult to bear.”

“Can I see ya’ tomorrow?”

Gundham thought of the dream he’d had the night before. He sighed and looked out the windows; the rain had begun to fall once more.

“I would move the stars if it brought the moment closer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> helloooo beautiful people! will I ever not be apologizing for taking so long on chapters? the world may never know! so sorry that this took so long, I just kinda got stuck in the weeds with this one and it was sort of a slog to get through. things should be picking up more from here on out, though! thank you all for you comments and kudos, it lights up my world <333333 also I took some major liberties with Maiya Gekkogahara's character since not much is known about her pre-canon


End file.
